Missing
by Ashigara's Wolf
Summary: When Zuikaku and her sister are paired against Kaga and Akagi, nothing goes according to plan, and Zuikaku takes matters into her own hands. (I don't own Kantai Collection)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Just because you've won hands down every other year doesn't mean you're guaranteed this year too!" Zuikaku yelled. She was right up in Kaga's face, and Kaga in her's, just as angry.

Well, unfortunately for you, Zuikaku, history tends to repeat itself. You know that," Kaga replied. Her voice was hard and cold as ever. Turning on a heel, she grabbed her partener, Akagi, by the sleeve, and pulled her away. "Let's go. This cancerous talk will get us nowhere." She stalked off.

Shaking with rage, Zuikaku turned to her sister, Shokaku. "Do you freaking hear this? Kaga here's talking as if she's already won! Hell this pisses me off!" Shokaku in turn grabbed her sister by the arm and pulled towards Mamiya's Cafe. The entire base knew Mamiya to be one of the best cooks in the whole Pacific, and definitely the friendliest. She was slightly older than many of the girls living on base, similar in age to Hoshou, and consequently, had a tendency to act in a motherly towards those she was close to.

"Look, Zuikaku, I hate those two as much as anyone here, but getting up in Kaga's face won't change anything. We'll just try our best again this year. Who knows? Usually it's only us, but maybe Hiryuu and Souryuu will join in. It'd be a nice change. She eased herself into a booth, and looked around. As she took in the walls of the cafe, her blood turned to ice. Hanging on the back wall was another poster put up probably by Kaga, asking for support in this year's Carrier Competition. It didn't help that it specifically mentioned the fact that those two girls had gone undefeated for 3 years straight. Shokaku tried not to stare at it too long, for fear of Zuikaku seeing it. As Mamiya walked over to see them, she saw what Shokaku was glaring at.

"Oh, yes, that,' Mamiya was sympathetic. "I can remove it, if you'd like." She smiled, while glancing at Zuikaku, who hadn't moved in the past five minutes. She sat with a scowl on her face, looking out the window.

"That would be nice, yes," Shokaku said. Mamiya nodded. She walked over and pulled it down, throwing the paper in the trash outside her kitchen.

"So your normal then?" She called.

Yes, thanks. Zuikaku here will as well," She answered. Zuikaku only nodded in response. She'd obviously been hurt and offended by Kaga's remarks, and seeing her posters all over the base didn't help. Shokaku put a hand on her shoulder.

"We can go talk to Hiryuu and Souryuu. IF they do enter, then it may be easier or us to scrape a win. What'd you think?" Shokaku really did want to beat Kaga this year, even if she wasn't as vocal about her desires as her younger sister.

"Here we are," Mamiya called, bringing over a pair of ice cream sundaes for the two. Sundaes were a common comfort food foe those who were stressed, and Mamiya always kept a few in the freezer in case she needed them.

"Ah, thanks. With the Competition starting tomorrow, we'll be up late. Thanks, Mamiya-san!"

"Yeah, thanks," Zuikaku said glumly.

"Oh come on now. Kaga can be quite, uh, what's the word? Overconfident?" Mamiya said quietly. She took a seat across from the two. Leaning in closely, she whispered, "If I'm to be totally honest, many of the girls here are just as fed up seeing Kaga and Akagi always winning these anyway. Not a few have expressed hopes that you'll beat them this year. Anyway," she continued, standing, "I have to get going. Good luck, really. I'd like to see those two beat myself. I'll definitely be there to watch you guys!"

"Thanks, we'll try!" Shokaku called.

As the two finished up, Zuikaku looked at her sister. "Are we gonna ask Hiryuu and Souryuu to join in? We'll need them if we're to have any shot at winning this at all."

Of course. We'll go now, if you want," Shokaku offered. Nodding, Zuikaku stood.

Bidding Mamiya goodbye with a quick wave, she two carriers made for the dorms of the 2nd Carrier Division. Knocking once, Zuikaku waited. Hiryuu answered the door.

"Oh, Zuikaku, this is a surprise. What brings you here?" She asked.

"Well, are you planning on entering the competition this year? Apparently the whole base is wanted us to win, but it'd be easier if there were more of us, to make things harder for Kaga," Zuikaku answered.

Hiryuu nodded, then looked over her shoulder. "Hey, Souryuu, we weren't planning on entering this year, right?"

"I wasn't planning on it" came the response.

"I see."

"Sorry guys. You know we a team of two to compete," Hiryuu said sympathetically.

"That's fine. If we can at least tie the other two this year then I'll be happy. Thanks," Zuikaku said. Departing with a wave, she turned to Shokaku. Nodding in relief that at least one part of their plan had worked, the two headed for their dorms, in real need of some rest.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Shokaku knew they'd bitten off more than they could chew when she saw the distance at which the targets were placed. Usually she was used to them being set at 50-75 meters. These were well beyond 100, and neither she nor Zuikaku had much practice at all at hitting things at that range. She'd been looking forward to this competition for a long time, and had all but run from her dorms to the meeting room where Tenryuu, who'd been put in charge of everything by Nagato, was going to explain everything. Why Nagato'd chosen her and her sister, Shokaku could only guess. Tenryuu was in charge, however, and that would make things very interesting, to say the least. At least she'd made this task relatively straightforward.

Taking a deep breath, and remembering to aim a bit higher to account for shot drop, she glanced at Zuikaku, who was sweating slightly, and stepped up to her place on the firing line. Closing her eyes, she raised her bow a few inches more than she normally did, and let fly. Opening her eyes again and looking at her shot, her eyes widened. She'd nailed the target perfectly.

Zuikaku stepped up next. Her arms shook slightly. When she fired, she had to correct posture, but her aim was high. She scored hits, but did not have the same accuracy as her sister, or the girls from Carrier Group 1. Sighing, she stepped down. Glancing at the scoreboards, she was not all all surprised to see Akagi and Kaga had put up near perfect scores. Kaga, surprisingly, only gotten a 97% on her shooting, which was what she took most pride in. What she was surprised by was that while she'd done badly and only gotten a 90%, Shokaku had managed a 98%, higher than Kaga. Akagi, of course, had gotten a perfect 100%.

Shokaku smiled reassuringly at her sister as they walked back to the meeting room for the next assignment. She put a hand on Zuikaku's shoulder. "Hey you did fine. We've never practiced at that range, so the fact that we both got at least a 90 says something. I even got better than Kaga, which I wasn't expecting. Let's just do our best with what training we do have. Alright?"

"Yeah, I guess that's all we can do. Let's go," Zuikaku said. Shokaku could tell that she was still feeling guilty about messing up. If she had one flaw, it was that she could be a perfectionist and have very high standards of acceptability for herself. Sighing, she made a mental note to have a chat with her that night, once she'd gotten away from Kaga and the pressure. For now, however, Zuikaku just needed to focus.

Tenryuu was getting ready to make the announcements, along with her sister Tatsuta,and of course Naka, who wouldn't allow anyone to do anything in front of a crowd without her. "Anyway, next up we got an endurance test, where you'll be forced to make a journey out into the ocean, out to an undisclosed distance, where Yamato, Nagato, and Oyodo will be waiting to judge you based on your fatigue, mental capability, and ability to fight at that time. Speed is a factor, but so is preparedness," She smirked "Heh, sounds hard. Are you all up for this one? It's battered not a few girls after all," She went on, stepping on Tatsuta's foot as she spoke.

Jumping, Tatsuta glared at her sister, blushing. "I told you not to mention that part, Tenryuu-chan!" She pouted.

Tenryuu smirked. "Well, it was funny. Anyway, Nagato and the others are already out there waiting, so we'd better not keep them. Tatuta will lead you to where will be leaving from. Best of luck to you all!" She called, as Tatsuta stood and beckoned towards the door. Not looking at her sister, Zuikaku followed Akagi out the door. Tatsuta lead them not to the docks they normally launched from, but around to the back of the base, where the water was much less frequently traveled. As a result, the position of sandbars and rogue currents was much less-well known. Akagi seemed a bit nervous about taking a different route. Rumor had it she'd run around here several times when she'd first arrived. She'd been embarrassed by those events, and although Kaga's face showed no emotion, as usual, she was definitely nervous; her voice was a bit higher pitched, and she was acting a bit more skittish.

"Little nervous, eh Kaga-san?" Zuikaku teased. "That won't do. You won't win like that."

"Never. I am fine. Akagi and I have much more experience than both of you. We'll be fine," Kaga said coldly.

"Eh you sure? Akagi-san looks pretty nervous herself. Maybe these waters have some, uh, _not so nice_ memories for her. Hmm, Akagi?" Shokaku taunted.

"Well it is nice to know you have asense of humor, at least. Now if you'll excuse us, we have to leave," Kaga quipped.

"Certainly. Wouldn't want to be seen stuck on a sandbar now would you?" Shokaku added. Grinning, she turned back to Zuikaku after watching Kaga stalk off. Zuikaku was beaming.

"Wos sis. Didn't think you had that in you. Nice to see you do," She said with a grin.

Oh well, you know, if someone spends enough time around you, they'll end up like that, without fail," Shokaku said with a smile. Zuikaku blushed, but followed her sister into the water. "Since we don't know this area at all, we'll take it slow and then pick up the speed once we're out of here. If what i did works, then they're rush out and hopefully ground somewhere. Let's go," She finished.

Smiling, she followed her sister into the water, and carefully eased her way out of the channel. Zuikaku could feel the same under her, and knew that if she strayed at all from the channel, she'd run aground, and that would cost time. As the two made their way out, they were passed by Kaga and Akagi. Kaga was pulling her sister along very quickly for the channel's size and depth.

"See you later, maybe!" Kaga called to them.

"We'll see," Shokaku called back. "They're going too fast." She remarked to Zuikaku. Sure enough, as the two cranes rounded the final turn before hitting the open sea, they spotted Kaga on her knees. Sure enough, she'd taken the last turn way too fast, at nearly 25 knots, and beached herself hard.

Laughing, Shokaku called out to them as she and Zuikaku passed. "See you later, maybe!" Zuikaku gave her a high five, and they could hear Kaga growl as the two hit the open sea, and were soon specks on the horizon.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Damn, this is taking longer than I 't this supposed to be a quick, two-hour, run?" Zuikaku asked, a bit of worry creeping into her voice. She glanced at her sister. It was getting dark. They'd left the back of the docks nearly four and a half hours ago. They hadn't seen anyone since, not even Akagi and Kaga. As night fell, the possibility of missing the rendezvous point in the dark increased drastically.

Shokaku nodded. "That's what Tenryuu said before we left. Yet either she was wrong, or she intentionally told us wrong so we wouldn't panic." She paused, then raised her hand.

"Shokaku-nee, what's-"

"Shh. I've got something on radar," She sighed in relief. "One Re-class. We must be close then. Yeah, I've got a few friendlies nearby. Must be Nagato and the rest. They aren't moving to intercept, so it must be part of the test. She's in range. Let's take a shot, eh?" Shokaku was smiling. Zuikaku nodded eagerly. Grinning, she hurriedly launched 4 arrows. She sister put up four more.

"Alright! Four fighter groups, two bomber, and two torpedo groups. Well balanced. Given the target's a battleship, we'll focus on one side of th ship, to maximize our change of a Sunday Punch. One and done." Zuikaku was grinning.

Shokaku nodded. "Wow, Zuikaku. You're not usually the one to think tactically. It's a nice change." Zuikaku smiled. "You really want to win this, eh?"

"Yeah, I do. Kaga and the others need to see that they aren't as untouchable as they think," She said with fervor. Shokak smiled. As their planes neared the target, she gave them the simple command for a one-sided attack. Zuikaku did the same. Three minutes later the Re-class was a burning hulk.

"Hah! Chew on that one, 1st CarDiv! Woohoo!" Zuikaku yelled. Shokaku was laughing. As she calmed down, Zuikaku glanced at her sister. "I've got Yamato on radar. She's hard to miss. What'd you say? Let's get this over with."

"Yeah, definitely," Shokaku agreed. Without wasting any more time, both girls turned and made best speed for the finish line. Their elation soon turned to disbelief and anger. As they got closer, they could see Kaga and Akagi nearing the finish as well. Pushing even harder as they locked eyes with the two, Zuikaku crossed the finish at the same time as Kaga, and Akagi was barely a fraction of a second behind Kaga. Cursing herself, Shokaku crossed last. She looked at her sister. Zuikaku nodded.

"We'll be fine. Everything else was flawless. We didn't ground, we eliminated the Re-class, and we made it here in good shape," Zuikaku said. Shokaku nodded.

As the four girls headed back, accompanied by Yamato, Oyodo, and Nagato, in order to keep some semblance of peace. The tension in the air between the two pairs could have been cut with a knife. Neither spared the other as much as a glance.

Nagato turned to the four. "When we get back, you'll go straight to your dorms. Judgment will go through the night, as we will meet with you tomorrow afternoon. The decision that we come to then will be final, and will decide this year's winner. In the case of a tie, we will take a basewide poll. That is all." If Nagato noticed the tension in the air, she said nothing about it. Nor did she mention the fallout that would result after winners were announced. Most of the district had stayed up past dark, and made their way down to the docks, to see the four carriers home. As soon as they sailed to within visual range, everyone gather along the dockside let out a cheer. Knowing the were a base favorite, Zuikaku and Shokaku forced smiles. They knew they hadn't done as well as was possible. Shokaku did feel slightly better when she noticed that most of the welcoming committee was ignoring Kaga and Akagi. Smiling, the two underdogs pushed their way through the crowd, and although they would have liked to stay and chat with some of their admirers, they were worn out following a longer than anticipated journey, and then that same journey back, albeit without the stress of having to be the first ones finished. Bidding goodnight, Zuikaku pulled her sister towards their rooms.

"Come on, Shokaku. Chat with your fanbase later. Sleep now, alright?"

"M-my f-fanbase?" Shokaku sputtered. "They like me for some reason or other. I don't know why!"

"Zuikaku scoffed. "You're selling yourself short. Most of them want to see someone other than Kaga and Akagi win this year. You're a better people person, so naturally, they're drawn to you." She smirked. "You have fans, whether you like it or not."

Shokaku facepalmed. "You had to put it that way, huh?" She asked with a tease.

"Yup. I'm your sister. That's what I'm here for," She answered, giving Shokaku a playful shove. Shokaku laughed and put her arm around her sister.

"Whatever the outcome of this is, remember that we have this over the other two."

"What?" Zuikaku asked, confused.

"You and I can actually joke around and have fun." Shokaku answered. "I don't think Kaga knows the meaning of the word 'fun' actually," she went on with a smirk.

"Agreed. Now let's actually get some rest. And brace ourselves for tomorrow," Zuikaku said with a yawn.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Tenryuu sighed. She glanced at her sister. "I'm not liking this. Not at all." She glanced at Tatsuta, who appeared as equally nervous and annoyed.

"Agreed, sis. This is really frustrating. I mean, seriously, give someone a change for once" Tatusta growled. She leaned back in her chair. Sighing, she picked up the glass sitting on the side table, poured herself a shot of sake, then turned to her sister. Still holding the bottle at an angle, she raised an eyebrow.

Tenryuu gave her a look. "You know I only drink whiskey. But nor right now. Just hurry up and get this over with. I'd rather not be up all night," She groaned, then began looking through the reports she'd received from Nagato and the other judges, along with the notes she'd made herself. As much as it pained her, she glanced at Tatsuta. Her sister was always able to read her mind, and she knew that she'd come to the same conclusion that Tatsuta would.

"I can't find a way to but a happy spin on this. I've tried picking every detail apart. It'll have to be the way it's always been," Tatsuta said with a heavy sigh.

"Yeah. You know, we could call it a tie, and then allow the base to vote. You know they'd win if we left it at that," Tenryuu said. She seemed to be trying to convince herself that if they just pulled a few strings, everything would work out fine.

"Yeah, they would. But that's pushing it. If we're lucky, then it'll all work out and everything. But if we're unlucky, as we probably would be, then we'll probably be accused of being corrupt and biased. Then we're screwed good and hard. We'd be assigned nothing more than expeditions and Bauxite gathering. Necessary, sure. But better left to the destroyers," Tatsuta groaned. She buried her face in her hands. Glancing to the side, she grabbed the battle of sake again. Bypassing the glass, she takes a shot straight from the bottle. Tenryuu raised an eyebrow, but smiled wearily and turned to her own whiskey. She cast a forlorn glance at it, then downed the last half the bottle in one gulp. Tatsuta looked at her, but only smirked.

"Seems my ways are rubbing off on you, eh sis?" She asked innocently.

"Oh shut up Tat, you know how I am," Tenryuu said with yet another sigh. "Let's get this stuff over with. As close as they were this year, I'd be willing to bet that next year's outcome could be different." Standing, she stretched, then gathered the papers into a neatish pile on her desk, then turned to her sister. "Well, it is 0240. We need to call it a night." Groaning, she set her bottle in with the others and headed towards the stairs. Stifling another yawn, Tatsuta nodded and dropped her glass into the sink. She followed her sister upstairs.

As she allowed herself to drift off, she rolled over and nudged her sister one last time. "Ten, you still awake?"

"Yeah, why? What's bothering you?" Tenryuu sounded drunk. It occured to Tatsuta that she very possibly was.

"I have a bad feeling about this. When we do end up having to announce the final results, at least of those two won't be able to handle it well. We may want to keep and eye on them both, just to be safe," Tatsuta murmured.

"Well I do know that Shokaku wanted to win just as much as Zuikaku. But it's not her that you're worried about, right?" Tenryuu asked with a knowing nudge.

"Yeah. Zuikaku's the problem. She'll be likely to take it quite hard. We'll keep an eye on her, just be safe, right?"

"Of course, sis. That's our job. Now get some sleep. It's three in the morning."

"Yes ma'am," Tatsuta said with a tease. She nudged her older sister once more, then also rolled over and finally called it a night.

As morning broke and she and her sister cleaned up and prepared to head down to the meeting hall later that afternoon, Tenryuu again tried to convince herself that she was wrong. She glanced over everything one last time, trying to find anything she'd missed, that would give Zuikaku and her sister the edge. She could find nothing.

Tatsuta walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry, Ten. I don't think we can twist this one either. I sure as hell would like to, if only to prevent the fallout later, but it's not gonna happen."

Tenryuu sighed. "I know. It's just disheartening." She leaned against her sister, who readily pulled her into a gentle hug. "They both tried so hard at this. Well, we'd better get going. I'll have to brief the others, and let Nagato know that she lost her bet," Tenryuu said sadly.

"What bet? I didn't know they had a bet going on," Tatsuta said in surprise.

Tenryuu nodded. "Nagato saw how much effort those two put in and saw their scores from the first day. She agreed to bet 1500 yen that Shokaku's team would scrape a win."

"I see. That's gotta suck for Nagato," Tatsuta, cracking a slight smile. Giving her older sister one more squeeze, she sighed, and walked over to grab her jacket, and handed Tenryuu her's. Nodding, the two made for the meeting rooms, so they could break the news to the others.

As they entered, Nagato looked up, a hopeful expression on her face. When she saw the faces of Tenryuu and her sister, her face fell, and she stood and hurried over. "How? They put so much effort into this, and they did better on the simulated mission," Nagato asked quickly.

"I know, it sucks. Essentially, since Agaki was flawless with her shooting, and because they were able to make up so much time after having run aground, the judges determined that those two will take the competition again."

Nagato facepalmed. "I can see their reasoning, but that still seems a bit far. Make up time as they did, they still made mistakes, and we not always in first place when they finished." She looked around at the others. "Well we know now. Now comes the biggest hurdle: breaking this to the rest of the district."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Tenryuu was able to sense they tension in the air as the room filled up. Zuikaku, Shokaku, Kaga, and Akagi seemed well rested, but Tenryuu suspected most of their "energy" was coffee or some sort of last-minute shot of whiskey, or something similar.

Even though it was late in the afternoon, around 1400, many of those present seemed to be fighting off yawns and looked about ready to fall asleep. Tenryuu suspected they already would have if not for the news they were still waiting for. She glanced again towards Nagato, who nodded grimly, and turned to her sister.

"It's time," she murmured. "I don't like it, but we'd better get this over with." Tatsuta nodded wordlessly. She wrung her hands. Maybe she was imagining it, but the crowd seemed to be picking up on the mood of the accouncers. Even Naka seemed to lack her usual bubbly demeanor. Yeah, she was easily saddened, but coupled with the reserved demeanor of those on stage with her, and the lack of desire to make any announcements began to worry a few people.

Nagato raised a hand for quiet. "Yes, I know you are eager to hear the results for this year, but before that-"

"What do you mean, _before_ that?" someone called from the crowd. Nagato paused. Kongou had stood.

"What are you waiting for? Is something wrong?" Kirishima and her other sisters had joined Kongou on her feet.

Nagato's faced hardened. "We will make that known when the time is appropriate. Now have a seat, you four," Frowning, Kongou and her sisters took their seats. Yet the shutting down of the Kongou-sisters' inquiry seemed to be the final nail in the coffin for the rest of the crowd.

"S-So it's true then?" Akatsuki asked quietly, standing herself. "The rumors?"

Out of options and unable to stall for time, Nagato turned to Tenryuu, and nodded once. She pretended not to see Zuikaku and Shokaku, were trying, and failing, to hide their shaking. Sweat could clearly be seen on Zuikaku's forehead. Tenryuu took a deep breath, and picked up her mic. Steeling herself, she turned to face the crowd entirely. Everyone by now had fallen silent.

"You can see the expressions and actions of those present on the stage," Tenryuu bgan, gesturing to a nervous Zuikaku and Shokaku, and also the calm, suave, confident Kaga and Akagi. "The rest doesn't need much explanation. Despite the fact that Shokaku and her sister put up slightly better scores than those of the others, the fact that Kaga and Akagi were able to make up their lost time and still put up the scores they did means that once again, they have clinched the win this year." Tenryuu was fighting to maintain her composer. Where there should have been a roar of applause and cheering, there was only very little, polite clapping, and even that died out relatively quickly.

Smirking, Kaga turned to her partner, and embraced her momentarily. She seemed not to notice that almost no one was excited to see them win once again, nor did she notice Zuikaku, who buried her face in Shokaku's chest, and was visibly shaking with sobs. She'd gotten the message in the same way everyone else had, and she was tried to mentally prepare herself for the inevitable, but hearing it spoken out loud seemed to drive the message home more profoundly. Shokaku watched the victors walk off heads held high, and had to resist the urge to trip Kaga as she walked by. It would have been easy, and she would probably have been able to get away with it, but she restrained herself, not wishing to antagonize everything more than it already was. She waited a moment, only to allow Zuikaku to pull herself together.

After a moment, Zuikaku looked up. "Can I say something? To the crowd?"

"I think we might be able to arrange that," Shokaku said softly. Guiding her heartbroken sister over to where Tenryuu and Tatsuta were still standing, she was encouraged by the applause that rose from the crowd when they walked over. Explaining her wish to Tenryuu, Zuikaku was allowed to speak.

Gathering herself, she turned to the crowd. Shokaku put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll try to keep this brief. Thank you for your support. Although we weren't able to pull off the win this year, we'll be back. I have no intention of allowing those cocky, overconfident excuses for carriers to continue to shame us." She was forced to pause as cheering, applause, and calls of "Hear, Hear!" came from the assembled girls. "Again, thank you. We really appreciate it. Now if you'll excuse us, we need some food after this mess." Holding up a hand in thanks, she turned to Shokaku, motioned for her to follow.

Chased by more cheering and applause, Zuikaku led her sister down to Mamiya's cafe. After the chaos and emotional roller coaster than had been the afternoon, she needed something that would be familiar and welcoming. Thankfully, no one else was at Mamiya's at the time, so the two were able to slip in unnoticed by anyone. Anyone but the owner, of course.

Mamiya, who'd been mopping the floor in the back hallway, saw them come in. Registering their condition, she hurriedly set her mop aside and went to see the two. Zuikaku glanced up as she came over. Without saying anything, she pulled the sisters into a comforting embrace. "I'm so sorry to hear what happened. I heard everything on the radio. Is there anything I can do for you two?" She asked in a whisper. She guided them over to secluded booth in the corner, so Zuikaku wouldn't have to be seen in her current condition. Her face was streaked with tear marks, and her hair was a mess. Mamiya wouldn't have blamed her at all if she'd said that she just wanted to leave and return to her room for the rest of the day.

Briefly locking eyes with Shokaku, Mamiya left, an returned a few minutes later with two of her famous smoothies. "Figured you needed something a little more relaxing. These two are on me." She smiled. "Consider it my gift for effort. You deserved that win, honestly. The others rushed themselves."

"Yeah," Zuikaku's voice was bitter.

Mamiya frowned. "Sure you're alright?"

Zuikaku nodded. "We'd better go. I'll see you tomorrow, Mamiya-san." She left without another word. Shokaku and Mamiya shared a nervous glance.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Zuikaku had gone to bed early. She'd heard Shokaku ask her if she was interested in dinner, but decided not to answer. Shokaku's heart sank.

SIghing, she'd left alone, saying to herself, "I'll need to have a talk with Mamiya about her. This is bad." With that, she was gone. Zuikaku groaned, and sat up. She was just tired. Tired from trying to win the competition, tired from having to stand on stage and hear her defeat announced publicly. Tired of having the entire base wanting to sympathize with her. Knowing that Shokaku would take her time, Zuikaku took her time getting up and moving to gather her clothes from the floor.

SIghing to herself, got herself redressed into her usual uniform, and wrote a quick note to her sister. _Most likely, by the time you read this, I will be gone. I need to get away from this mess. You know those notes that Kaga left don't help. I tried, as did you, and thank you for doing so. I best be going now, Shokaku-san. Maybe I'll see you again later._

Satisfied, she folded the note, left it on Shokaku's bed, and stood to leave. Glancing out the window, she was relieved that night had fallen. It would make it easier for her to leave. She hurried out the door and make her way to the back docks, where not two days ago she'd left confident that together, her and Shokaku would take that event. Now she was using it again, playing to the same strengths that made it the prime choice for the mock mission. Having the channel so narrow would make quick pursuit difficult, and she herself was quick enough that by the time Shokaku realized where she'd gone, and notified Nagato, even Shimakaze would be hard pressed to find and catch her. Even as she picked her way down the shoal-infested channel, she could still feel the frustration and burning embarrassment at finding a note, presumably left by Kaga, or possibly Akagi, taped to the door of their dorm when they'd gotten back from Mamiya's.

" _History tends to repeats itself"_ was all it said, and it had almost been enough to send Zuikaku over to find and strangle Kaga. Shokaku had torn down and discarded that one, but something told her that Kaga had put others up elsewhere where Zuikaku was sure to find them. Groaning, she shook her head to clear her thoughts, and headed for the open sea. She wasn't sure where she intended to go, but she needed somewhere where she could get away for awhile and wouldn't be bugged by her sister, or Kaga.

She was only able to breathe normally when she'd cleared the channel and hit the open sea. Smiling in relief, she raised her arms, and cheered quietly. Turning north, she allowed herself to truly run, something she'd restrained herself from in prior sorties, due to the fact that it made her very hungry.

As Zuikaku sped north, she resolved to not come back. Not for a long time. She'd raid other small bases, or make Bauxite runs herself, if only to prevent her having to return to Yokosuka. Having a sudden idea, she adjusted her course slightly. If her calculations were right, maintaining this course and speed would put her off the coast of Vladivostok in a few day's time. Another day or at most two would get to the west coast of Alaska, where she would make her way down the coast to the American District there. Eventually, she fantasized, she'd make her way to San Diego, an offer her services to the US Navy there.

Smiling in spite of her heavy heart, she leaned forward and peered ahead, all the while savoring the wind in her face, and the thrill of speed.

Smiling slightly, Shokaku returned to her room. She'd planned on visiting Mamiya's once again, but had been noticed by Hiryuu and Souryuu soon after leaving. While they'd declined her invitation to go eat with her, they had in turn offered to walk with her. Shokaku was a bit surprised. While the two girls from 2nd Carrier Division were friendly enough, they tended to be a bit more reserved. Taking the opening, she'd spent over an hour just spending some time with the other two girls. She was glad she had.

Upon entering, she sensed something was amiss. "Zuikaku?" she called. No answer.

"Maybe she'd in the bathroom, or more likely, fallen asleep somewhere besides her bed. It wouldn't be the first time." Shokaku thought to herself. Walking over, she dropped her bad on the floor next to her bed, then noticed a piece of paper folded on the bed. Opening it, she recognized Zuikaku's writing. As she scanned the note, her eyes widened in horror, and she turned and ran for the door. Hiryuu and Souryuu were sitting outside, watching the moon reflect off the waves.

"Hiryuu! Souryuu!" she called frantically, running down the steps towards them. The two girls turned in surprise. Shokaku almost never yelled unless Kaga was present.

"Shokaku-san, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Souryuu asked worriedly. She got up and hurried to meet the other carrier halfway. Wordlessly, Shokaku shoved Zuikaku's note into Souryuu's hand. Bewildered, Souryuu opened it. Hiryuu stood and leaned in to read over her sister's shoulder.

"So she just left this?" Hiryuu asked. "And left?"

Shokaku noded. She didn't say anything to me before I went out with you two. Then I come back to this." She looked almost ready to cry. Souryuu out a hand on her shoulder. A door opened to her left.

"What's all the racket? Is everything alright?" Akagi appeared in the doorway of her dorm. A moment later, she took in the scene in front of her, and hurried to see what the mess was. Souryuu showed her Zuikaku's note. Akagi's eyes widened.

Turning, she called over her shoulder, "Kaga? Come out here right now!" Kaga wordlessly came out to see what her partner wanted.

Akagi handed Kaga the letter. Frowning, Kaga took the paper. "What's this?" She asked, opening it. As she read, her face went from annoyed to worried, to almost scared. That alone was enough to get everyone else's attention. Kaga was not known for showing much of anything in the way of emotion. "Well, we'd better bring this to Nagato right away. She can organize a search party." She looked at the others, who had bewildered looks on their faces. "What?"

Shokaku fidgeted with the hem of her dress. "Well, your less than pleasant relationship with my sister is pretty widely known. So why are you all of a sudden so prepared to help look for her?"

Kaga didn't answer right away. Akagi looked at her friend with knowing eyes. "Kaga. You'd better tell her now."

"Tell me what?" Shokaku asked, confused.

Kaga gulped. Taking deep breath and facing Shokaku, she began to explain. "When I first started this 'rivalry' with Zuikaku, I never intended for it to become this heated. Originally, I only wanted a friendly rivalry of sorts." She paused for a moment. Yet my pride kept me from admitting as much. So in the end, we ended up like this, always at each other's throats. I needed to tell her I'd gone too far, but I couldn't." She hung her head. Fighting tears, she whispered, "And look where it's gotten me." She sat down heavily on the bench. She didn't even try to fight the tears. To her surprise, it was Shokaku who sat beside her, and pulled her into a hug.

"Kaga? Is that all you intended between you and my sister?" Shokaku asked. Kaga nodded. "Then tell her. If she doesn't believe you, I'll talk to her. I think she'll see sense. We just need to find her." Shokaku stood. She turned to the others, who nodded. I believe you said something about going to Nagato?"

Kaga nodded. "Yeah, I did. I guess we should go now?"

Shokaku nodded, standing. "I trust Zuikaku's judgment not to engage something she can't quickly defeat, but you can never know for sure. I'm going now." The others nodded.

Kaga stood as well. "We'll be right behind you." Shokaku looked her her former rival in surprise. Kaga raised an eyebrow. "What? Do you really think we'd let you try to reason with Nagato by yourself?" She smirked slightly. Turning to Akagi, she nodded, and followed Shokaku, hoping that Nagato would listen.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Nagato paced the length of her office, while Mutsu stood off to the side, pouring cups of coffee so the 5 cold girls could warm up. "When did you notice Zuikaku was gone?" Nagato asked, turning to Shokaku.

"Well I left Mamiya's around 2100 with Hiryuu an Souryuu, an got back maybe 30 minutes later, so I first knew by around 2130 or so. I don't know when she actually left, though. She didn't put anything on the note.. The only thing I can mostly guarantee is that she went north. She's always talked about going north," She gestured helpless to the paper lying on Nagato's desk.

Nodding, Nagato turned to Oyodo, and told her to find Shimakaze. "We'll need her speed. I don't care if it's 0100. I need her her ASAP, along with all four Atago's, and all four Mogami's. Make it quick,"

"Yes ma'am!" Oyodo called, turning to he radio. Satisfied, Nagato turned back to the assembled carriers.

"I probably already know what your response will be, but I'm going to formally ask." She paused, and looked each of them in the eye, one by one. "Do you wish to join the search party?"

Shokaku looked at Nagato, grimly. "Of course I intend to go. She's my sister after all." Nagato nodded.

"I will go as well. I probably _should_ go, as I most likely had a role in her running off," Kaga said quickly. Shokaku turned to Kaga, a look of surprise and gratefulness on her face. Nagato raised and eyebrow at the 'had a role in her running off' part, but said nothing.

"If Kaga-san is going, then I will too," Akagi said firmly.

"As will we," Hiryuu finished. Satisfied, Nagato turned back to Oyodo.

"One last thing before I forget. Notify all nearby districts that aircraft carrier Zuikaku is missing at sea, an have them keep an eye out for her, if at all possible," Oyodo nodded. Nagato turned back to Shokaku, she motioned for them to sit down. She poured herself another cup of coffee, then turned at the door opened.

Eight cruisers, all of whom were still shaking off sleep stumbled through the door. Maya looked like she'd like nothing more than to strangle Oyodo, but was restaining herself.

Glowering at Nagato, she sauntered over and asked, not too politely, "So, _Nagamon_ , I'd suppose you've got a good reason for draggin' us all in here at this crazy hour, eh?" She sat back in a chair, without a care in the world.

Nagato twitched at the nickname. "Yes, Maya, I do." She turned to the other cruisers, addressing them as one. "Following the events of yesterday, Carrier Zuikaku apparently left the district late last night. She left Shokaku a simple note, any didn't tell where she was going. In short, we believe she is headed for probably Vladivostok, and then possibly Alaska. Here's how I'd like to organize the search groups. I'll split you up into two groups. Shokaku, you'll be with Akagi and Kaga. Hiryuu, you'll be with you sister. Both groups will have two Atago and two Mogami class cruisers. If what Shokaku tells me is correct, and Zuikaku did go north, then that means Vladivostok, and then possibly east to Alaska. I'd like to find her before she reaches the USA, if at all possible." The others nodded. "So I'll send both groups north, then west through the Tsugaru Straits. After passing through, The main body will continue to Vladivostok, while the others will head north, then come down the coast, in the chance that Zuikaku heads that way. Keep planes in the air as much as possible after coming through the Tsugaru Straits." A general murmur of agreement rippled from the assembled ships.

"Alright then. You're leaving at first light. I will make an announcement to inform the rest of the district. I unfortunately cannot go, as I will be needed to still run this district. For now, head down to the docks. Prepare your equipment. Arm yourselves; our sorties into northern waters are few, and I do not have solid reports of Abyssal numbers in the area. That will be all." She stood, downed her coffee, and turned to go.

Sighing, everyone made their way to the docks. Maya was still complaining to Atago about the early wake up. The rest of the night was relatively uneventful. Maya did accuse Atago of spilling oil on her sleeve, even though when Kaga checked her over, Maya realized that she'd caught the edge of the cup on her sleeve as she reached for a rag.

As morning broke, Nagato came down to the docks, and informed everyone going on the mission that they had one hour to finish up, eat, and be ready to leave. Nodding, everyone dispersed to find food. Nagato was already waiting for them when the last two, unsurprisingly Atago and Maya, finally showed up.

"Well, this is it. Good luck. You'll need it. Just head out, the split into the two groups. Remember who's going where." Nagato stepped back. She looked to Shokaku, who had been accepted as the flagship without argument. Shokaku nodded, then turned to the sea.

Closing her eyes and steeling herself, she stepped into the water, and called out, " CarDiv 5, flagship Shoukaku, moving out!" The rest of her fleet raised a cheer. Nagato watched them go.

"Godspeed, Shokaku!" She called after her.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Zuikaku groaned and got to her feet. Once again, another big wave had knocked her over. She'd tried to keep a count of the number of times she fell, but lost count after twenty-five. She sighed. Although she'd sailed during what she'd figured was the calmest time of the year, the weather had proven her very wrong. No sooner had she lost sight of land, then the wind had picked up. She hadn't thought much of it at first, yet as the night wore on, she soon realized that this was much more than a simple blow-up. Morning came, but Zuikaku could hardly tell. The rain was blowing sideways, the swells reached twenty feet quite often, and were never below ten feet. She couldn't see ten feet in front of her nose. The wind was howling so hard she couldn't even hear her radio, which was right in her ear.

A saying of sailors from the war came to her mind. When asked about the wind force in a typhoon, a weatherman jokingly told his captain, "Force Sixteen." The Beaufort Scale, used by the US Navy to measure wind force, only went up the Force Twelve. Zuikaku had nothing to get her bearings on, but she knew that typhoons usually came from the northeast, so she kept the wind off her starboard bow, and did her best to hold her own against the storm. She was getting tired, an could only hope that the storm would pass over before too long.

Zuikaku tacked into the wind all morning. She wasn't sure how much progress she'd made, but no sooner had she dared hope that she'd soon be thorough with the storm then another rogue wave slammed her. Although she'd kept her hand on her bow an managed to hang onto it, the force of the wave once more knocked her off her feet. Even worse, once she'd stood and checked herself over, Zuikaku realised that over half the arrows that she'd had in her quiver were gone, presumably washed away. How she hadn't lost the rest, she had no idea. She sighed again.

"This was a mistake. I should have just tried to go east, around it. I figured that as a carrier, I could sail through it will little damage, compared to a light cruiser or destroyer. I'll suppose I was wrong. This is bad." Zuikaku peered up at the sky as best she could. She was relieved to see that the sky looked a touch lighter finally. Looking down again, her heart nearly stopped. Her flight deck, she realised, was broken almost in half.

Okay, this is _really_ bad. I'm gonna have to make Vladivostok as quickly as possible once I can see where I am again." As she pushed on, she could feel the winds finally dying down slightly. Over the next several hours, the storm continued to subside, and by late that following morning, she was finally able to see enough of the sun to get a fix on her position. She'd made almost no progress in almost a day and a half, which made her very upset. On the plus side, she hadn't been blown too far off course, so she didn't have to make up any more distance or time than she already did.

With the storm finally on it's way out, she was able to resume her original speed. She figured that she'd make Vladivostok a a little more than a day. It seemed like she'd come through the storm into a different world. The sky was as clear as she could ever remember it being, the sea was smooth as glass, and there was only a light breeze from the west. Life was good.

She been sailing north for a few more hours when she finally realised that maybe it would be a good idea to put a few fighters up as scouts. She checked her bow, and found a few dings and dents. Checking her arrows that remained, she found a few cracked. She had no dive bombers, and only 2 each of fighters and torpedo bombers. Inwardly groaning and hoping she didn't run into anything nasty, she launched one squadron of fighters. When they all launched normally, she breathed a sigh of relief. Yet within an hour, that relief was replaced by trepidation. She was getting close to Vladivostok, yet she'd encountered no warships from the base, nor had she been hailed by anyone asking her her intentions and reasons for coming this close to a Russian Naval District.

Just as she was beginning to become seriously concerned about her planned stopover in Vladivostok, her planes finally made contact with a ship coming from the base's harbor. Zuikaku sighed. "I guess I'll leave the planes there for right now. They aren't under attack, so there's no danger in doing so. But I'd better be ready to greet whoever that is headed out. I'd assume they're here to confront me." She lowered her bow. A moment later she began to make out the silhouette of someone approaching on the horizon. Zuikaku dropped her speed to match that of her new companion. As the distance closed, she recognized the girl as a battleship, but she wasn't sure who. As she approached, Zuikaku stopped. She slung her bow over her shoulder and stood calmly.

The other girl, who Zuikaku realised was much smaller than her, eased up to her and stopped a few yards away, keeping her distance. "Who are you? What are you doing here, miss?" She spoke with a thick Russian accent, which Zuikaku expected. She hadn't expected her to be so soft spoken.

She turned to face the new battleship. "Aircraft Carrier Zuikaku. I'm just passing through the area." She paused, then added. "And you are?"

The other battleship paused for a moment, then spoke again. "Oh I do apologize. I am the battleship Gangut. Otherwise known as Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya. I'm in charge of the Naval District in Vladivostok. What can I do for you?"

Zuikaku blinked. She hadn't expected that response from Gangut. "Well, to be honest, after that horrid storm, what I really need is a place to rest and someone to repair my flight deck and replenish my arrows."

Gangut's face fell. "We don't have any carriers that call Vladivostok home, so I'm afraid that replacing your lost arrows isn't possible. However, repair is." She paused, and looked over zuikaku a bit more closely. As she checked, Zuikaku became more and more aware of the extent of her injuries. She'd lost a rudder in addition to the damage to her flight deck. Her superstructure had lost most radio and communication aerials, so she wouldn't have been able to hear Gangut or anyone else, even if they'd tried to raise her via radio. The backs of her legs were covered in scrapes and cuts, as was her back, which had been laid bare by the force of the wind and waves.

"Uh, are you sure can repair this much damage?" Zuikaku voiced her concern. "I didn't realise how much damage I had taken. All I knew about was the missing arrows and my broken flight deck."

"Of course. You sailed _through_ that typhoon?" Gangut asked in amazement. Zuikaku nodded. "Wow. you've really gotten lucky, that's for sure." She paused, then glanced around. "You're in a bad way. We'd better get you to a dock, quickly."

Standing, she extended an arm to Zuikaku. Zuikaku looked in confusion for a moment, before she reached up and accepted Gangut's hand. When she attempted to move on her own, however, she stumbled and nearly fell again. Without saying anything, Gangut put an arm around her waist, and helped support her, as they two made their way back to Vladivostok, and a dock for Zuikaku.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Kaga winced as she watched Atago take the full force of a wave right to the face. Although it didn't seem to phase the big cruiser, Kaga knew it had to have hurt. She had been forced to turn her group back west due to the typhoon that Akagi's planes had detected a day after leaving. They'd sailed northwest for the better part of that whole day, and it wasn't until after nightfall that reports came in that the storm was past and they could resume their original course. To Kaga's dismay, she now realised that to make up lost time and actually have a chance of heading off Zuikaku after she left Vladivostok, the task force would have to sail at flank speed for almost twelve hours straight. Kaga knew that her and Akagi would be able to make the run, and the cruisers should, but the return journey was another story.

"Hey, Kaga-san!" Maya called. "We're gonna have do some quick sailin' if we're gonna make this rendezvous, ya know!" She was similarly battered by wind and waves, but hadn't suffered any personality change.

"Yes, I know, Maya." Sighing due to Maya's nature and brash comments, Kaga turned to Akagi and Shokaku, who'd been silent since they'd left. Kaga might not have been the best when it came to dealing with emotions, but Akagi seemed to have the ability to calm Shokaku down. Straightening herself, Shokaku looked her friends. She began considering them friends, mostly since they'd agreed to go with her.

"We'll be be able to make it, but we'll have to sail at flank speed for the better part of a day to make up time." She glanced at the sky. It had calmed down, but the clouds still made her slightly nervous. "We'll gamble that the weather holds. Let's go." Without further waiting, she turned and sped off.

"Race you!"Atago called out as she turned to follow Shokaku.

"Oh you're on," Maya growled. Not to be outdone, she was right behind her.

The others needed no further encouragement. Smiling slightly, Akagi turned to Kaga. "I like the way she's matured and stepped to lead. She's growing up."

"Her sister's run off. I'd be surprised if she did anything different," Kaga replied. Her face showed more worry as Akagi studied her. "I'm more worried about Zuikaku-san. I know she can be a bit, _impulsive_ , but this is a new one.I didn't think Zuikaku's be this upset." She paused for a moment, a faraway look coming to her eyes. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have kept putting all that stuff up around the district. I thought Zuikaku would get the joke." She paused again, and wiped her eye with her sleeve, trying to prevent the others from seeing. "Obviously she didn't get it." Kaga's voice became bitter.

Akagi said nothing for a while. She was trying to figure out what to say. Kaga was obviously upset with herself. After a while of thinking and not getting any better ideas, she opted simply to sing. She remembered an old song that she'd often sung for Kaga when she'd been nervous on their early missions together. Taking a deep breath, she began to sing.

" _O'er the gelid waves of galactic streams, Set course for the fixed star of Centaur."_ Kaga turned in surprise. Akagi smilied. "Always works, doesn't it?" Kaga nodded.

As Akagi began to sing once again, Kaga joined in, needed the comfort of the old tune.

" _Our glorious cosmoship crosses o'er the void far, Beyond those twinkling stars_

 _Set Sail! We're casting off, anchors aweigh. Stand on your bearing, steady as she goes"_

Both girls were caught off guard when Atago, Maya, Takao and Mogami joined in as well

" _Steady as she goes! Weather your helm towards the stars."_ Smirking, Maya nodded to Akagi and Kaga. "Yeah, we remember hearing that song around here before as well. Wasn't my favorite at first but I came to kinda like it, ya know?" She sailed over and patted Kaga on the shoulder. "You'll be fine. Zuikaku'll hear you out. If she doesn't listen to you, she'll listen to her sister."

"Hey, Shokaku, why are you being all antisocial again?" Atago called. "We are your friends, right?" Shokaku didn't answer. "I'll go see what she needs."

She sailed over to where Shokaku was standing, leaned forward, peering towards the horizon, straining for any sign of her sister.

"Hey, Shokaku, what's-"

"Why? Why are you so calm when she's missing?" Shokaku voice was laced with barely controlled anger. "Hell, you're even singing. How can you just act so relaxed and all even now?" She raised a hand, as if to slap Atago.

Eyes wide, Atago backed off. She turned, and locked eyes with Akagi. Akagi seemed to be the only one who was able to pacify Shokaku when she got like this. Nodding quickly, Akagi made her way over to Shokaku and put an arm around her. Shokaku stiffened, but made no move to escape.

Akagi smiled gently. "I know how it feels to feel like you've lost someone."

Shokaku turned. "Do you?" Her tone showed she clearly didn't believe it.

"Amagi" Akagi said softly. Shokaku glanced at her in confusion. "My sister. She was sent to be scraped rather than being repaired after she nearly sank. Although she seemed alright with her fate, as she knew there was nothing she could do to change the admiral's mind and she was getting older, it devastated me to know that she would be "disposed of" as I was told. I still remember the last conversation we ever had.

I'd been allowed to accompany her to the breaker's yard-" Akagi paused, before continuing. "As I left her for the last time, she grabbed my arm and asked me to wait. She put a tired hand on my shoulder, and told me simply to never forget my pride as a carrier, and stay true to who I had always been." Akagi was forced to pause again, and Shokaku put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright, Akagi-san? You don't need to go on," Shokaku said, worried.

Akagi shook her head. Although only Kaga knew the story, Shokaku could see that it was something that pained Akagi greatly.

"I'm fine. She mentioned a few more things, before our time was up. She gripped my shoulders again, and smiled. I broke down. She pulled me into one last hug, and I could barely get up the strength to return it. She'd been the one who'd raised me, taught me, made me who I am today. I can never repay that now. She kissed me on the cheek, and that's the last I saw of her." Akagi was crying steadily now. Shokaku found herself losing her composure as she heard Akagi's story. Shokaku said nothing for a moment, then hung her head. Wiping away a tear she didn't know she was close to shedding, she turned away and couldn't bring herself to look at the others.

Akagi turned. Motioned to Kaga, she asked her to take the others and continue. "We'll catch up in a moment." Turned back to Shokaku, Akagi reached over and put and arm around her shoulders. Without saying anything, Shokaku only turned and buried her face in Akagi's shoulder. She began to sob, the stress and frustration she'd been feeling ever since Zuikaku left finally getting to her. Akagi said nothing, allowing Shokaku to cry herself out, before the younger girl gasped once and looked up.

"I-I didn't know. I-I'm so sorry, Akagi-san. For you to recount that, it's just,.." She turned away and began to sob forced to her look at her, and pulled her back into a hug.

"I know, Shokaku. Be glad your sister is still here. We'll find her. Don't worry," Akagi was crying as well. Shokaku melted against Akagi's shoulder and let the tears come. She could sense Akagi crying as well.

After what she guessed was about 10 minutes, Akagi realised Shokaku was no longer crying. Shaking her, she got no response. Pulling away, she realised the exhausted girl had fallen asleep. Smiling slightly, she draped one of Shokaku's arms around her, and guided her towards where the fleet would be waiting. Zuikaku was out there somewhere, and Akagi knew Shokaku would probably run herself into the ground before she allowed her sister to remain missing. She knew that she would do the same.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

One of the first things that stood out to Zuikaku when Gangut led her back thorough Vladivostok was the figured it might be a third of the size of Yokosuka. How exactly any real number of girls lived and fought from here was lost on her. Many of the buildings were larger than she was used to, and there weren't very many. She shivered. She hadn't noticed as much when she'd been at sea, but it was quite cold here. She glanced at Gangut, who had donned a fur coat and hat. Gangut looked at her, then stopped. Zuikaku looked at her in surprise.

"Here, take this," Gangut removed her coat and offered it to Zuikaku. The carrier's eyes widened.

"N-no, don't worry I-I'm f-fine. R-really!" Zuikaku said quickly, waving her hands at Gangut. "You keep it. I'll be fine."

"You are shivering, Zuikaku. I have another two winter layers on. You're only wearing a miko uniform. Take the jacket," Gangut said, firmly, but not unfriendly.

"Geez, you're sounding like a girl I knew back at Yokosuka. Aircraft carrier Kaga. She'd probably say something similar, although she'd throw an insult or two in there at the same time. I can't stand her and her ego," Zuikaku sighed. "I'll try to avoid the ranting."

Gangut nodded. She draped her coat over Zuikaku's shoulders. As much as she would have liked to deny it, the coat was very warm, and Zuikaku appreciated it in the cold of Vladivostok. The two continued in silence for a while, before Gangut finally stopped in front of a smaller stone building that could have been built in the 1920's, or last week. It was hard to tell.

"This is my office. You can either stay here. I have a room upstairs, or you can stay with Sovetsky Soyuz. She may let you stay with her. Maybe. If you don't know her she can be a bit, well, strange, to put it lightly." She looked at the carrier. Zuikaku looked exhausted. "While I usually stay with Kirov, maybe we can- Zuikaku?" She looked around. Zuikaku had started walking over to the dorm that Gangut had indicated was Soyuz's. "Uhh, I would knock first…" Sighing, Gangut hurried over to join Zuikaku.

Zuikaku walked over and could hear rock music coming from behind the door. Looking at Gangut, she reached for the door before pausing. "Is that _Bulletproof Heart_?"

Gangut nodded. Soyuz and Kirov are both heavily into My Chemical Romance. It's too, uh, different, for my liking, but each to their own." Zuikaku smiled slightly.

"Well it is a good band, but right now I need a place to sleep. I'll worry about the docks tomorrow. I'm not in danger of getting sick." She knocked on the door twice. The music shut off.

"Yeah? Who is it?" Soyuz called. The door opened, and Zuikaku wasn't entirely prepared for Soyuz's attire. She wore black ripped jeans, knee-high gloss black boots, and a battered black shirt with a design in white that Zuikaku couldn't make out. An old black bomber jacket and skull necklace completed the punk look. Her hair was cut short and spiky, and she had a touch of black eyeliner under one eye.

"Oh, Gangut. Hello." She nodded to the older girl. "Oh, and you are?" She asked, turning to Zuikaku.

"Aircraft Carrier Zuikaku. I'm from the Yokosuka District. Long story short, I had some run-ins with another carrier, Kaga, who couldn't quit hounding me about stupid stuff. After my sister and I lost a competition with her and her partner, she puts up all these posters celebrating their victory, just to get at me. It was too much for me, so I chose to leave," Zuikaku explained.

"I see," Soyuz said with a slight nod. "You're damaged. Shouldn't be at the docks?"

"Yeah, but i'm exhausted right now. Docks will have to wait till tomorrow," Zuikaku said, while fighting a yawn.

"If you wouldn't mind, Soyuz. At least let her spend one night. We can work out where-" Gangut began.

"Hah. Are you serious?" Soyuz asked haughtily. "Of course she can stay a night! She can stay as long as she needs to." Soyuz looked at the green-haired girl, who was now more red than green. "It'll be nice to have someone to talk to. Come on in." She turned and disappeared. Zuikaku turned to Gangut.

"Don't worry. Soyuz can be a bit rough around the edges, but she's really quite caring when she wants to be. I'll leave you two to get acquainted." She turned to leave. "I'll be in my office. Walk in and you can't miss me."

Zuikaku sighed. She opened the door and followed Soyuz into her dorm. Having seen her, Zuikaku was at least prepared for the decor. She was struck by the darkness of the room. If there was an overhead light, Soyuz didn't use it. She had a small lamp on a stand next to her bed, but otherwise the room was completely dark. MCR and other similar band posters lined the walls. Soyu was reclining on her bed in the same attire Zuikaku had seen her in. She probably slept in that outfit.

"So you decided to join me, eh?" Soyuz called. "Great. There's the spare bed. Don't know why I have one. I don't have any sisters. But anyway, you can sleep there, alright?"

Zuikaku nodded. "So do you always listen to loud music? Not that it bothers me too much, but I don't really have any way or time to do that back home."

"Yeah I normally do. Sometimes Kirov comes over and we'll have a night of listening and dancing. You should join us." She had a glint in her eye that told Zuikaku to never make a bet with this battleship. Soyuz stood. She reached into her closet and threw Zuikaku a few clothes. "Put these on. You need them. They should fit you."

"Oh. Thanks." She looked at the shirt and jeans that Soyuz had given her. They were exactly Soyuz's style. "Thanks, Soyuz." Zuikaku sald with a small smile. Then she smirked. "Now, about that music…"

"Now I like this," Soyuz replied with a laugh. Without saying anything more, she reached over and cranked up the songs again.

 _So many/Bright lights that cast a shadow/But can I speak?/Well, is it hard understanding_

 _I'm incomplete?/A life that's so demanding/I get so weak/A love that's so demanding/I can't speak"_ Soyuz soon lost herself in the music, singing aloud without a second thought.

Before Zuikaku realised it, she was humming and nodding along with the song. She knew that Shokaku would throw a fit if she could see her now, but Zuikaku found she liked this whole new life, even though she hadn't known Soyuz more than an hour. Before long, she had asked Soyuz for the lyrics, and soon she too had lost herself in the chorus of "Famous Last Words."

Zuikaku knew that leaving Vladivostok would not be easy for her, and she would miss Soyuz and her singing. But she'd have to go back to Yokosuka, as much as it pained her. The chorus of the song seemed to fit her perfectly.

" _I am not afraid to keep on living/ I am not afraid to walk this world alone/ Honey, if you stay/ I'll be forgiven/ Nothing you can say can stop me going home."_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Kaga frowned. She knew that splitting their force in half after passing through the Tsugaru Straits was a bad idea. Despite Nagato's orders, Kaga ordered all of her ships to remain as one group. "It's better if we move as one group. We're more likely to spot something that way, and we're together if something comes up. Nagato said she already contacted Vladivostok, and informed them of Zuikaku's disappearance and that she may attempt to go there. We're only a day or so out if we run at high speed." Kaga said, making her decision.

"Ugh. Fine," Maya groaned. "I'm hungry though."

"Yeah, so am I," Takao agreed. "However, we have to reach Vladivostok, then we can eat." She sighed, and looked over at the others. The strain was telling. Akagi and Shokaku had quit telling jokes, and even Atago and Maya couldn't even keep up any argument of sorts. Kag frowned. She looked over at the other four carriers with her. Souryuu looked exhausted.

Shokaku looked at Akagi. "How long is it gonna take us to reach Vladivostok? We can't last too much longer."

"I know. I know," Akagi's shoulders slumped. She looked almost gaunt. Shokaku put a hand on her shoulder.

"Akagi-san? Are you alright?" Shokaku asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. We'll need to hurry though." She called Kaga over. "We're only a day from the coast near Vladivostok. If the data I've gotten from my planes is correct, then we're roughly 350 nautical miles from Vladivostok, so about twelve hours or so in our condition. It's late. Should we push through the night, or just wait and get some badly needed rest?"

"It wouldn't be a bad idea to rest," Mogami said. Kumano and Suzuya nodded.

"Yeah, but then we're just prolonging an already bad situation," Takao countered. "If we wait till later to continue, then we'll just be that much more hungry, tired, and in bad shape should something happen."

"Well said, Takao," Shokaku said with a nod. Takao smiled slightly. She didn't like a lot of praise. "I think we should just keep going. The sooner we reach Vladivostok, the better."

"Of course you want to hurry. To be honest, I would like to get moving myself. We should go, Kaga-san," Akagi was tired, and she knew the rest were as well. Everyone nodded, although Maya was not happy.

Forming up into a circle formation, with the 5 big carriers at the centre, ringed by the cruisers, they would have no problem covering the 350 knots to Vladivostok in what should have been about 10 hours. But due to their fatigue, the time would end up being more like twelve hours.

There wasn't much to be said, and the next several hours passed in relative peace. Even Maya and Atago were silent, a rarity indeed. As dawn began to break, Hiryuu and Souryuu both put up a few scouts, in case something was amiss in the area. As the morning wore on, the bit ofn energy that had fueled the girls through the night waned off.

Kaga yawned. "T-this is tiring. We should be seeing land within an hour or two.-" She paused, and inclined her head. "I'm picking up a message from an unknown ship coming from the direction of Vladivostok. 'Unknown fleet. Identify yourselves. Failure to do so will result in your being fired upon.' " She looked around at the others. Shokaku was trying to hide her excitement, but Kaga could see it in the younger girl's eyes.

"We'll all switch to open communications. Broadcast your identification codes plainly. Make no aggressive motions. We can't afford to botch this one."

One by one the entire fleet made themselves known to the newcomer, who identified herself as the battleship Gangut. It did come as a surprise for the others to realise that Gangut had been hiding a cruiser in her own radar signature. Upon asking her reasons for hiding the cruiser, who explained that she was Kirov, Gangut's secretary, Gangut explained that she'd wanted to keep her hidden due to the vast numerical superiority of Kaga's fleet. She glanced at Kirov, and could tell she was thinking about what they'd discussed earlier.

"

"I'll assume I already I know your reasoning for coming all the way out here," Gangut said, her voice light, but guarded.

"That would be correct," Kaga said, a similar tone in her voice. "Shall we get going then?"

Gangut raised an eyebrow. "Why should I just agree to bring all of you back to Vladivostok on a whim? I never agreed to help you."

"Hey now that's-"

"Enough, Maya. There's no need for that nonsense." Kaga turned to Gangut. "I apologize. She can be a bit impulsive at times. As for allowing us to rest at your district, that is simple. We haven't had a break since we left. All of us are exhausted and hungry. All we really need right now is a bed and something to eat."

As she looked over the assembled girls in front of her, the extent of their exhaustion became clearer to Gangut. Every one of them had deep dark circles under their eyes, and they looked strained and weatherbeaten. She turned to Kirov, who nodded.

"I don't see no threat in 'em. They're right. They need a place to crash for now, and some food wouldn't be a bad idea either, eh?" Kirov looked over the weary girls with sympathy.

Gangut nodded. "Very well. Let's get on with it. We have a spare dorm room that we can make work for all of you for a day or two. Follow me." She turned and headed back towards Vladivostok with Kirov.

Kaga locked eyes with Akagi. "I'm not sure. She seemed a bit, strange."

Akagi shook her head. "Be that as it may, we're all running on fumes. It's a risk I'm willing to take in order to get the others replenished. Plus, if Zuikaku-san is there, then we need to go, for Shokaku-san's sake."

Akagi turned, and made for Vladivostok, followed by the rest of the fleet. Kaga sighed, and followed her sister."I hope Zuikaku-san's alright." She murmured to herself.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Soyuz stretched. She looked over at Zuikaku, who was passed out in a chair, still clutching the glass in her smirked. "I guess she has a lower tolerance for vodka than I do. Hehehe," She paused for a moment, then pulled on her boots and jacket. She paused for a moment and thought about leaving a note or something, then decided that Zuikaku wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. Turning away and closing the door behind her, she made her way down to Gangut's office.

KIrov was the only one in the office when Soyuz walked in. "Oh hey, sis," Kiroz said in surprise. "You're up late. Everything alright?"

Soyuz looked confused. "Late? What time is it?"

Kirov smirked. "Nearly 0900. Late night again?" She had a knowing grin on her face.

"Oh you know, nothing different than a normal late night," Soyuz dropped into a chair across from her friend. "So where's Gangut then?"

Kirov sighed. "She took those new girls to one of the empty barracks for the night. She stayed with them for a while, I guess. One girl who said she was Zuikaku's sister was demanding to see her right away, but Gangut knew better than to disturb you guys at that hour. Coming back took a bit longer than we thought. Strong currents and a steady rain didn't help." She yawned, and stood. Walking around to her friend, Soyuz could see how tired Kirov was. The younger girl had dark circles under her eyes, an her clothes had been put on in a hurried fashion.

"I'll be bet dealing with those newcomers didn't help." She sighed, and allowed Kirov to lean on her for a moment. "Hey don't fall asleep on me now. I have an idea."

Kirov stood up, wary. "Is this similar to your idea last week at lunch?"

Soyuz blushed. "Hey it's not my fault. How was I supposed to know Gangut could throw potatoes so hard? Anyway, no. I have Zuikaku staying in room for now. She's been out since about one. Can't handle vodka very well. She's still asleep as far as I know" Soyuz's eyes gleamed.

Kirov found herself grinning."What's your plan then?" Soyuz said nothing, only standing and walking out. "Follow me."

As the two approached Soyuz's dorm, Soyuz went ahead and opened first, as she'd be less suspicious. Unfortunately, her entire plan fell apart when she walked through the door. Zuikaku was more or less awake. She was on her feet at least, and had managed to get a fresh set of clothes on. A quiet 'damnit' could be heard from Kirov.

"Oh hello Soyuz. You're back. Good," She turned to Kirov "And you are?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm the cruiser Kirov, Gangut's secretary," Kiroz said, nodding to her. "Well the good news is that since you're awake, I can let your sister know and she can come see you." She went on.

Zuikaku paled. "My sister. R-right. Ok then," She sat down on the bed with her hands folded. Kirov turned and left. Soyuz sat next to Zuikaku. She put an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sure your sister is more worried about you than angry. Don't worry too much. If worse comes to worse, I'll intervene for you, alright?

Zuikaku gulped, but nodded. She stood, bracing herself for facing the others she'd abandoned. Sensing her still-present anxiety, Soyuz turned and pulled her into a hug. Zuikaku said nothing, only returning the gesture.

"You'll be fine, Zuikaku-san. Trust me," Soyuz murmured. Zuikaku said nothing. She was shaking ever so slightly. Someone knocked on the door. Soyuz squeezed Zuikaku once more, then pulled away, nodding reassuringly. "Come in!" She called.

The door flew open and Soyuz only caught a brief glimpse of white hair before another girl flew through the door and tackled Zuikaku to the ground. The two locked each other in an embrace that wasn't going to be broken anytime soon. Turning to the others who had been standing off to the side, trying to take in the room, Soyuz asked who the other girl was.

"Shokaku. Zuikaku-san's older sister," came the simple response from one older girl. "She's been worried sick, as I'm sure you can imagine." She paused. "Oh, I'm Aircraft Carrier Kaga. With me is my partener Akagi, sisters Hiryuu and Souryuu, and cruisers Takao, Atago, Maya, Chokai, Mogami, Mikuma, Suzuya, and Kumano." She indicated each in turn. Soyuz nodded, then turned back to where Shokaku was reconnecting with her sister.

The two had taken a seat on Zuikaku's bed, but Shokaku still looked a bit upset. Both were still wiping tears from their eyes, but Shokaku almost seemed to be getting angry. As the others watching slowly inched closer, to better make out what the two were saying, Soyuz's heart sank.

"Shokaku! I said I regret leaving without telling you! I'm sorry!" Zuikaku pleaded.

""You're sorry?" Shokaku's voice was hard as steel. "You had half the base worried sick. Nagato and Mutsu, even! Now we sail all the way out here from Japan in order to find you, nearly starving ourselves in the process, and the best you can say is, 'I regret not telling you'?!" Shokaku was crying again.

Zuikaku looked ashamed. "Shokaku-nee-"

She was cut off when Shokaku slapped her across the side of the face. Zuikaku's eyes widened. Shokaku paused for moment, realised what she'd just dome to her sister, and her eyes went wide. Turning, she fled towards the door, slamming it her behind her. Zuikaku began sobbing again. The others looked on in stunned surprise.

Akagi spoke first. "I'll go look for her. I can usually get her to listen to me. Usually." She left quickly, a concerned look on her face.

No, let me talk to her. I need to talk to her, anyway," Kaga insisted. "I need to apologize."

Soyuz turned, confused, then added two and two. Zuikaku had mentioned a girl named Kaga making her life hell, leading to her leaving in the first place. Soyuz nodded, walked back and putting a hand on Kaga's shoulder.

"Good luck," She whispered "She's become like a sister to me, so be good to her, or you'll answer to me," she added with a to the rest of the Yokosuka girls, Soyuz motioned for them to follow her. "Let's give them some space."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Kaga stood alone with Zuikaku, and she could tell the younger girl was feeling the tension as much as she was. With nothing else to do, Kaga took a deep breath and moved and pulled up a chair, sitting across from Zuikaku, but far enough away for Zuikaku to avoid her if she wished. Neither spoke for a while. Finally Zuikaku broke the silence.

"Why you? Why did you of all people, decide to come after me?" She still wouldn't look at Kaga.

Kaga sighed. "I need to explain something. Just hear me out." She leaned forward. "This whole mess is probably my fault."

That got Zuikaku's attention. She glanced up at her with a confused look. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"When I first began to make that competition a big deal, I was hoping that it would remain a friendly conflict between us. That is why I kept making comments I did." Kaga paused, allowing Zuikaku to process what she'd told her.

Zuikaku sat still for a moment, then looked up at her. "So you pulled all those stunts and made me look like a fool, because you felt like keeping a game up?" Kaga only hung her head. "Why, Kaga-san? I only wanted to be as good as you and Akagi-san. Not better." Zuikaku's voice cracked. "Yet you and Akagi made all those statements, put up all the posters, and more to rub it in that you were better." She stopped talking, and buried her face in hands.

Kaga could see her crying. She couldn't remember feeling worse, much less such an utter fool to never even ask Zuikaku or her sister how they felt about the competition, the posters, and so much else. Kaga stood and sat down next to Zuikaku, a little apprehensive lest Zuikaku's sadness turn to anger. She'd seen Shokaku, who she'd always considered the most level-headed of all, nearly slap Atago, who was herself one of the friendliest cruiser she knew. All in a momentary fit of anger-fueled rage. Fragment

Zuikaku was obviously feeling much more conflicted, manipulated, so Kaga was trying to play it safe.

The young girl looked up at Kaga, and although the tears had stopped, her face was still red, and Kag felt her own heart break. "Zuikaku, I'd say 'I'm sorry', but it feels too hollow, What can I do for you now?"

Zuikaku blinked. "Too hollow? No, just said too often without thinking. Just apologize and move forward." She paused, and finally looked the older girl in the eye. "Can we do away with this whole competition and put this mess behind us?"

"Of course. I would rather focus on building up our skills, rather than things of that nature now that I see what it can cause. Did you see notice the state the entire base was in after the comp was over?"

Zuikaku nodded. "Kaga, I want to believe you, I really do." She was still wrestling with her thoughts. On one hand, Kaga had made her feel like dirt following their victory, only to tell her later that she was only trying to play a game of sorts. On the other hand, Kaga had come all the way to Vladivostok in order to find her, and apologize. "But it's kinda hard to really know what to believe, given the circumstances." She began pacing around the room. Kaga watched her, with growing concern.

Running out of options,Kaga reached out and grabbed Zuikaku's arm as she walked by. Zuikaku looked at her in surprise. Before she lost the courage, or second-guessed herself, she pulled Zuikaku into a hug. The smaller girl tensed up, not used to such displays of affection from the normally stoic girl.

"Uh, Kaga-san?" Zuikaku asked timidly.

"I'm sorry. For all this mess. Please, Trust that I'm being honest with you." Kaga pulled away slightly, enough to look Zuikaku in the eye. "I didn't come all the way out here just to lie to you. That doesn't make much sense now does it?" She had a slight smirk on her face. Despite her conflicts, Zuikaku couldn't help but smile slightly.

She knew Kaga wasn't lying; even she could see that. "So can we both agree to forget this whole 'Vladivostok Incident'?" Zuikaku asked . Kaga nooded. "Thank you." Zuikaku said. She stepped forward and embraced Kaga once more. She tried to put a few things she couldn't voice into it, and was pretty sure Kaga understood.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Well this has been interesting, to say the least." Kaga was standing at the docks, facing back east. Although they would have liked to stay longer, everyone had been away from home long enough. Kaga shook hands with Gangut and Kirov, thanking them for keeping Zuikaku safe, and promising to keep in contact.

Zuikaku turned to Soyuz, a slight blush coming to her face. "Well, this was fun, at least," she said, fidgeting with her dress.

Soyuz laughed. "Got that right. You'd better come back and visit me, ya hear?" Grinning, she gave Zuikaku a quick hug, then stepped back, along with Gangut and Kirov. Smiling sadly, Zuikaku turned and made her way to the sea with her friends. Glancing at her sister, and Kaga, Zuikaku eased into the water, turned, and began to make her way back east, accompanied by the others. Shokaku pretended not to notice the tear that Zuikaku quickly wiped away.

The journey home passed much more quickly than the journey out. As the first day wound down, everyone would usually have needed to stop and rest. However, with Zuikaku finally back among them where she belonged, and needing to return to Yokosuka as was possible, Kaga insisted they keep moving.

"We're gonna need to hurry. Nagato will be wanting to have a talk with all of us."

Zuikaku frowned. "That's what I'm worried about. She'll give me hell." She shivered at the thought.

Kaga put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll do our best to keep her from flying off at you too much. Don't worry too much." She smiled slightly. "Now we need to hurry, we've still got a long journey home, and we've got to make sure Nagato doesn't any more reasons to be upset than she already might." Zuikaku only nodded, and turned back, looking ahead. Kaga shot a worried glance at Shokaku. Shokaku only smiled, dismissing Kaga's concern.

Confused, Kaga sailed over to her. "What's that supposed to mean?" She seemed more confused than angry, although Shokaku was still momentarily worried.

"Well Zuikaku's probably still feeling a bit guilty about running off," Shokaku said quietly. "And she's got to be a bit worried about Nagato's reaction when she sees her again."

Kaga frowned. "You're right, Nagato can get a bit worked up when things go haywire like this." She leaned closer to Shokaku. "Do you think we should try to do something to help Zuikaku when Nagato has to talk to her?"

Shokaku thought for a moment, then nodded, a smile forcing its way to her face. "That's an idea. Do you think we should talk to the others as well?"

"What do you think? If this all goes downhill then we're all in trouble." She paused, to allow Kaga to think about that. "But if we do show Nagamon that we support Zuikaku more than we do her, then maybe she'll back down."

Kaga smirked at the use of Nagato's nickname. " _Nagamon_. That'll never get old. But yeah, I can see the statement that would make. Should it just be us two, or all the carriers that went?"

"Probably all of us. It would make a better statement. Should I let the others know then?"

Shokaku nodded. "Just keep it a secret from Zuikaku-san for now." She grinned. "I'd like to see her face when we go with her."

Kaga smiled. "Well I'll let Akagi, Hiryuu and Souryuu know then." She patted Shokaku's shoulder.

She spent the better part of the next hour filling the three in on the plan, often double-checking things with Shokaku as questions came up. As night fell, then passed, hunger began to prevail once again. Hiryuu sighed. Souryuu looked over at her sister.

"Relax. We're almost back. Since we didn't have to fight a typhoon on the way back, we'll make the return journey quicker. If we're lucky, then we'll be back by this evening," Souryuu said with a hopeful look on her face.

Souryuu's words proved true. As the sun began to sink, the outline of Yokosuka appeared on the horizon. Everyone raised a cheer, relieved to finally be back in familiar territory. As they drew closer, Zuikaku stopped talking at all. She'd been chatting with Kaga and her sister to pass the time, yet now she went silent. Kaga could sense the tension in the air, although she could do nothing about it. Zuikaku would have to face Nagato's wrath alone, for the moment. As the fleet drew closer to home, they could make out a small group standing on the pier, waiting for them.

Nagato was unmistakable, as were Mutsu Akashi, and Oyodo. To her credit, Mutsu looked a bit sympathetic. Nagato, however, had an expression that would make a Re-Class pale in fright. Kaga gritted her teeth and led the fleet up to meet with Nagato. She left her equipment with Akashi, and turned to Nagato. The others followed suit.

Her face a brick wall, Nagato turned and began to walk away. Without turning around, she called for Kaga and the rest of her fleet to follow her to her office. Zuikaku was visibly shaking. Kaga put an arm on her shoulder.

"You'll be fine. We'll back you up. Like I said, most of this chaos was my fault. I'll take the fall, need be." She forced a smile. Zuikaku said nothing.

"Maybe the stuff that happened here was, but I was the one who ran off," Zuikaku murmured. She said nothing more. Kaga frowned in concern. As Nagato ushered them into her office, Kaga shivered. It was cold inside, as if Nagato had made it cold on purpose. Only Zuikaku and Kaga were allowed to enter. The others were forced to wait with Ooyodo in her office.

Ooyodo wisely turned to leave with them. "I'll leave here before the yelling gets too loud," She said quickly, entering her office and closing the door.

Satisfied, Nagato turned her attention to Zuikaku, who had shrunk down in her chair and was trying to look small. Nagato sat down at her desk and leaned towards Zuikaku. Zuikaku gritted her teeth and looked up at Nagato.

"I'm going to ask you this once, Carrier Zuikaku." The use of her full title caused Zuikaku to shiver. "You will explain fully why you left this district without permission, and you will accept without argument the full consequences of your actions," Nagato's voice left no room for argument.

Voice shaking, Zuikaku began, "After w-we l-lost t-the compet-tition, Kaga l-left notes all over the base c-c-celebrating her and Akagi's victory. It really got to me. After seeing them all over the place, eventually I had to get away from it all. So I left. Didn't know where I was gonna go at first, but eventually Vladivostok came to mind. Came through the typhoon well enough, made it to Vladivostok in one piece. Got fixed up there. Bonded with a few of the girls in their district. Then Kaga-san and the others came to collect me. The rest, as they say, is history." Her tone had gone from scared and afraid of getting grounded, to one that was smug, almost proud of her accomplishment.

Nagato scowled. "So you're telling me you just up and left, all because of something Kaga was saying?" Before Zuikaku could say anything, Nagato went on. "Then you ran north without knowing your destination, caused another District some of their resources, and made no attempt to contact me. I was forced to send another fleet out to find you." Zuikaku nodded.

"Do you regret any of this?" Nagato's voice carried even more of an edge, something Zuikaku didn't know was possible.

"Only that I didn't wait to tell Shokaku-san in person that I was leaving. Otherwise, not really. Kaga was being toxic at the moment, something that has thankfully changed, Akagi wasn't helping the situation, nor were you. You're supposed to have tactical insight. Tell me how wise it is to have one of the base's biggest carriers under fire from her peers and with sagging morale in the event of a battle," Zuikaku countered.

Nagato glowered. Regardless of your attempt at logic, you have violated multiple base rules and regulations. These include leaving without a reason, failure to inform your superiors, and inconvenience of another district to cap it off. As a result, you will be confined to your quarters for the remainder of this week, and the entirety of the next. It will be up to your sister to provide you with food, an fill you in on anything you miss." She stood. "That will be all." As Nagato stood to leave, Kaga also stood. As Nagato turned, the door opened, and the other four carriers that had come with Kaga entered.

"However," Kaga began, "it would seem the rest of us disagree." As one, the five other carriers went and stood alongside Zuikaku. "As Zuikaku will tell you, I already apologized for what I did last week, as did she for overreacting. I for one will not stand to see my friend to be shut away like that alone. If you're going to shut her away, then you'll be shutting us up as well."

"Zuikaku already apologized for her actions, no harm was done, and she is back in one piece," Hiryuu added. "I don't see any reason to keep her locked up."

"Because she broke with protocol. I will not stand for that kind of actions from carriers," Nagato said coldly.

"Just like you didn;t stand for it from Mutsu, after her incident?" came another voice from the hall. Everyone turned in surprise. Mamiya had joined them. "I saw these guys come back a while ago and follow you into your office. When they didn't come out after a while I figured something was up."

Nagato turned to Mutsu. "What is going on here?"

Mutsu sighed. "You can't see it? You're making enemies by doing this to Zuikaku. You need to let this one slide." She paused, and put a hand on her sister's arm. "After all, Mamiya is right, you didn't give me any more than a warning."

Nagato groaned and sat down. "Very well. Zuikaku, get out of here before I change my mind. All of you."

Zuikaku wasted no time in compiling. As Kaga followed her out, she paused one last time, and turned to Nagato. "Just know that Mutsu was right. You are making enemies, acting as you did tonight. Remember that." She left without another word.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Several days passed. Zuikaku was almost able to forget that night in Nagato's office. Everyone's lives had more or less returned to normal. Kaga and Akagi had resumed training almost immediately, as neither of them had been pleased with their performance. Initially they'd refused any help from anyone else, saying they knew how to shoot. Every time Zuikaku or Shokaku tried to go offer any tips, they were dismissed. _'Thank you, Zuikaku-san, but we are more than capable of hitting a target without your help. Now if you'll give us some space.'_ Zuikaku was confused. Kaga had seemed to have changed her attitude towards her and her sister after they'd come back. Now any memory of that had faded. It was with this background that Zuikaku now found herself at Hiryuu's door.

"Oh, good morning Zuikaku-san. Come on in," HIryuu was in a good mood. Important. As she followed Hiryuu in, she noticed Soryuu was also home. Also important. As Hiryuu poured her a cup of tea and motioned to a seat, Soryuu entered.

"Oh, hello Zuikaku. What brings you here this early?" She took a seat next to her sister. So what's up? Something's got to be bothering you. You're never this quiet."

"Yeah, you're right," Zuikaku said softly. She took a sip of tea, then looked up at Soryuu and her sister. "It's Kaga and Akagi."

"Oh. I see. Yeah I don't know what's going on with those two. They take their training way too seriously. Souryuu and I have tried to reason with them several times as well. You can see how well that worked out." Hiryuu sighed. "Maybe if we all went together to try to reason with them…" She sighed again and slumped in her chair. She was wore out enough by her own training. She was also worried about her friends, which only added to her exhaustion.

Zuikaku looked up. "There's an idea. Should I ask Shokaku-san to come along?"

"Can't hurt. The more voices the better," Souryuu said. She stood, picked up the tea cups, and turned to her sister. "Come on Hiryuu-san. Let's try to talk some sense into those other two." She looked over at Zuikaku. "You've got a good heart. And to think that a week ago you wanted to kill Kaga, it seemed. It's a nice change, to say the least." Zuikaku smiled, and turned to leave. Heading back to her dorms, she greeted Shokaku and explained her plan.

Shokaku nodded thoughtfully. "Well it's our best shot. At least the other two are with us on this." She patted Zuikaku on the back and made for the door. Hiryuu and Souryuu were waiting for them. As the four made their way down to where Akagi and Kaga were practicing, Zuikaku spoke.

"I think it'll be best if just offer to buy them something at Mamiya's. Kaga doesn't hate me, after all. She just needs to relax a bit. We're not at war, so while training is important, it doesn't have to be at the forefront of our minds." She turned to her sister, who was nodding, and to Hiryuu and Souryuu.

Hiryuu smiled. "You'll do fine. You're right: neither Kaga nor Akagi hate you. So they'll listen to you. Or at least all of us. So don't worry." She put a hand on Zuikaku shoulder. Zuikaku nodded in response.

As they drew closer, Zuikaku could make out Kaga and her partner still shooting at targets. She shook her head _I passed them nearly and hour ago. And they're still out here.'_ As Zuikaku walked up to Akagi, who was sweating, she noticed that she looked exhausted. Kaga wasn't much . Zuikaku frowned at her.

"What's going on, Akagi-san? Don't you think you're pushing yourselves a bit hard?"

Akagi looked at her in surprise. "Kaga-san and I have a position to uphold. We cannot afford to let our performance drop."

Zuikaku managed to keep herself from rolling her eyes, but Akagi sensed she was tempted to. "I know that. Anyway, the rest of us area headed out to grab something to eat. Care to join us?"

Akagi looked over at Kaga. "What'd you think? We've done enough for today,"

Kaga wiped her brow. "I guess so. A snack from Mamiya is rather tempting.. I guess it can't hurt." She put her bow away and walked over to join the others.

As they continued their journey, Shokaku made small talk with Akagi. "How's your training going then?"

Akagi shrugged. "Fine. It can always be better, but we're doing alright." She glanced to her side. Seeing that Kaga was occupied discussing tactics with Hiryuu and Souryuu, she leaned closer to Shokaku, whispering, "Honestly, I'd rather take some time off, but Kaga-san's insisting that we keep training. Maybe you can talk some sense into her." AKagi sighed. Shokaku nodded, smiling.

"Of course. That's what friends are here for, right?"


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

As the six entered the cafe, all of them couldn't help but smile slightly at the familiar smells. Mamiya heard the door open, and looked up to see the group walk in. Groaning goodnaturedly, she walked over to meet them. "I'm gonna warn you now. I'm still open for the rest of the night, so do leave me with some food when you leave, alright?"

Everyone laughed. As they took their seats, Kaga leaned back. "Alright. I will say that was long enough for one day. I'm gonna need this smoothie," She yawned.

Shokaku glanced at Akagi and the others. "Kaga-san, we need to discuss this whole thing." Kaga looked up, confused. "I mean the way you're training."

Kaga frowned. "I'm perfectly fine with my training schedule. As is Akagi-san, right?" She asked, glancing at her partner, expecting Akagi to nod and agree with her.

"Actually, Kaga-san, we do need to talk about that. Plainly said, it's too intense for the way things are going right now. We're not fighting a war, nor are we likely to fight one anytime soon. So there's no need to be training so hard. At least not right now. Shokaku-san is right. You are taking this too seriously. It's draining me, and you, for that matter. Just agree to take some time off, every other day maybe?" Akagi asked, almost pleading.

Kaga looked around the table and noticed everyone was looking at her. Everyone, it seemed, agreed with Akagi. Kaga locked eyes with Akagi once more, and her eyes widened. Akagi looked on the verge of tears. Without saying anything, Kaga stood, walked around the table to her sister, who stood as well. Kaga embraced her tightly, beginning to cry herself.

"Akagi-san. I-I didn't realise. I'm sorry. Truly." She pulled away enough to wipe the tears from her eyes. Akagi only nodded, smiling herself. For a moment, no one said anything, just letting the two have their moment, before someone cleared their throat behind them.

"l'll say, that was sweet," Mamiya laughed from behind them, where she stood, holding their food on a tray. "So much so you may not want to eat these now; they may taste bland." She winked. All six girls groaned. "Alright alright I'll stop, don't throw things!" She said with smirk. Setting their smoothies down on the table, she sighed and pulled a chair over. "Maybe you'll be able to answer my question, since as carriers you may know more than Hibiki and her sisters."

"What's the question?" Zuikaku asked. She looked as confused as her sister and Hiryuu. Kaga however, had a knowing look on her face, as did Akagi.

"Is it about those rumors of an exchange fleet?" She asked with a slightly bored voice.

Mamiya nodded. "Yeah, it is. I'll assume you know what's going on, then?"

"Let's hope, since we don't," Zuikaku said. Hiryuu nodded in agreement.

Kaga sighed, took a drink from her glass, and turned to Mamiya. "Well, as soon as the whole Vladivostok incident died down, Nagato called Akagi and myself into her office and explained a few thing. Firstly, there will be small group of girls arriving tomorrow from Scapa Flow, as part of an exchange program to ensure good relations between Yokosuka and the bases in the west. The original plan was to announce everything tomorrow night, and that will still occur, but now you'll know in advance." She paused, and took another sip.

"I see," Mamiya said quietly. "So that explains why I was told to conserve food. Probably a banquet or something."

Kaga shook her head. "Not a banquet. Just more mouths to feed." Anyway, we'd better get going. She sighed. While she'd been talking, everyone else had finished eating and was watching her. "Ugh. I'll have to pass on this one," she said, sadly, looking at her drink.

"I'll wrap it for you," Mamiya offered. Kaga nodded. She made her way to the door, accompanied by the handed her her drink in a foam cup, then bid them goodnight. Waving, they turned and made their way back home.

Zuikaku turned to Kaga. "Wasn't it the German fleet who scored lowest on their fleet review when compared to other Districts?"

Kaga nodded. "Yes, but that's not the reason for their visit. I already explained why they were coming, so we'll have to give them some tips on how things are supposed to be done."

Zuikaku laughed. "I see. So we're gonna be saddled with working with some girls who are struggling to create decent formations?" She finished with a taunting voice. Kaga facepalmed, but before she could say anything, a crude laugh came from behind the group.

"Guten Tag, Zuikaku. I believe you were talking about us?" called a sing-song voice from behind them. All four other girls turned in surprise.

"B-Bismarck! I-I didn't see you there! What's going on? I thought you guys weren't supposed to be here till tomorrow…?" Zuikaku stammered in surprise. Her face was redder that Akagi's uniform.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Awe, well, you know. Stuff happens. We were able to come earlier." Bismarck flashed a peace sign. "So what's all the rumors about, huh? Don't stand there gossiping and tell me you're not gonna fill us in?" She continued, walking up to Zuikaku with a smirk on her face.

"N-not at all! Of course we'll tell you!" Zuikaku said quickly, trying to appease Bismarck, who'd slung an arm around her in a 'we're already great friends' gesture. She didn't notice Kaga, who was glaring at her. Kaga locked eyes with Prinz Eugen, silently pleading with her to get Bismarck off her friend. Eugen nodded, walking over to Bismarck and pulling her back to the others.

"Thanks,..."

"Prinz Eugen. Just call me Eugen, though, thanks!" She said happily.

"Ah, alright, Thanks Eugen. Something tells me that you'll have to do that quite a bit until Bismarck mellows out. Wait, are you Bismarck's little sister?" Zuikaku asked, rubbing her neck. Bismarck was quite strong.

"Ah, that might be a problem," Eugen said, glancing at her friend. "I'm afraid that our idea of mellow and Bismart's idea of mellow are different. As for me and her, you're not the first to ask that. We are basically sisters, even though she's a battleship."

"Bismart?" Akagi asked. She'd initially stayed silent , allowing the others to deal with Bismarck on their own, yet now she had to say something.

"Yes. We call her that due to the fact that we have to make trips to the local food stores quite often while working with her. She can be _quite_ hungry sometimes. Quite," Graf Zeppelin added. All four of the Japanese carriers were surprised at how soft spoken she was.

"Hey, you ain't much better Graf!" BIsmarck called over. She was a bit red in the face, though.

"Well that will be nothing new to any of us, Graf, don't worry. You either Bismarck," Kaga said quickly. The others all nodded. "Do Nagato and Mutsu know you are here?"

"Oh, yeah. We kinda walked in on them," Bismarck murmured, turning red. The others stared at the ground. Zuikaku and Shokaku looked at each other with knowing expressions on their faces.

"I-I see. That can definitely be, uh, traumatic. Nagato can be very, _controlling_ , if she thinks she needs to be. Zuikaku and I walked in on Nagato once a few years ago, right after we arrived here. Not fun. I had nightmares for several days afterwards," Shokaku murmured.

"I-I see." Bismarck glanced at Prinz Eugen. Now Zuikaku could see how much the two looked alike. Eugen's hair was a bit more blonde, but other than that the two were nearly identical. Zuikaku suspected that if she had a picture of Eugen and a picture of Bismarck 3-4 years ago the two would be indistinguishable. "So that's what they're normally like?" She seemed confused.

"I' don't really know. If you ask me, it seems that Nagato does all the talking and decision-making, and Mutsu's just along for the ride. Nagato can be, well, very, _controlling_ ," Kaga clarified.

"I-I see," Bismarck said again. "Well something's definitely up then, 'cause Mutsu was nearly in tears and Nagato wasn't even looking at her. Looked like Mutsu wasn't cooperating with Nagato, even though she was pleading with her. When we opened the door Nagato looked over at us, growled something to the extent of 'Ok, you're here. Good. Now go. I have things to do.' And she pushed past us out the door, real angry and all. Not sure what to make of that. Poor Mutsu was a wreck. Graf asked her if there was anything we could for her but she just asked us to leave her alone. Anyway, we left their office and just started walking. There was like, no one around. Eventually we made our way here, and ran into you guys, who were in the process of insulting me, it seems," she finished, with a small smirk towards Zuikaku, who blushed. "Anyway, what can we do about those two, then?"

"Huh?" Was all Zuikaku could manage.

"Do something about Nagato and Mutsu, obviously. If they are in charge of relaying orders here then we can't have them both upset and frustrated like they are, right?" Prinz Eugen asked again.

Shokaku sighed. "There's no need. It's not the first time that they've argued like this. It won't be the last. They'll be fine. Anyway, we're heading back to our dorms for the night, so I guess we'll see you three tomorrow then?" She paused. "Wait, where are you three staying?"

"Well that's the problem." Eugen went on. She looked at the ground. "Nagato acknowledged that we were here, but she didn't tell us where we'd be staying. I guess she was too distracted arguing with Mutsu to notice. She sighed, shivering slightly.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"I-I see. That shouldn't be too much of a problem though. You guys can stay with us. How's that?" Akagi looked at Shokaku and the others to gauge their reactions. None of them argued.

"Fine with me," Shokaku answered.

"And us," Kaga added. She glanced and Zuikaku, who nodded silently.

"Well then, I think that settles it. You three, come with us," Shokaku said cheerily, looked at the three surprised German girls. "What? Did you really think we were going to allow the three of you to sleep on the floor in the back of Mamiya's café? Come on now!" The tension broke. Bismarck cracked up laughing. Prinz Eugen broke as soon as Bismarck started laughing. Graf fought a laugh for a moment, but soon couldn't help herself. Shokaku was smiling, Kaga was fighting one, Zuikaku and Akagi were almost rolling on he ground laughing.

"W-well, w-when you put it like that-" she broke into a laughing fit again "-it sounds so, well funny!" Bismarck gasped once or twice, then regained some degree of self-control. Getting up from the ground, she smoothed her uniform and looked at Shokaku. "You really need to stop that. It's dangerous for our health."

Shokaku turned red. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't realize-What?" Bismarck and Prinz Eugen were laughing again. Graf was trying and failing to avoid smiling. "You guys tricked-ugh!" Shokaku groaned.

"I never thought it would be that easy!" Bismarck laughed.

"You really did fall for that quickly," Graf added. 'I think the only other girl who fell for it faster was Iowa, and that's cause she's, well, Iowa."

"I-I see," Bismarck stammered

"Anyway, can we get going? It is getting dark," Kaga interrupted.

"Oh, yeah. Hehe," Bismarck laughed. She grabbed Prinz Eugen with one arm and Graf with the other. "We're following you." She nodded to the others to lead. Kaga sighed.

"This could be a trying time, living with these three," she remarked to Zuikaku.

"Eh, not really. They're just excitable and happy. What's wrong with that?"

"Point taken. As long as they don't intrude on our lives too much."

"You worry too much. I think only Bismarck would try that, and that's if we don't tell them all to mind their own space. Which we will. Don't worry, Kaga. Everything'll be fine," Zuikaku said firmly.

"Alright. I'll trust you this time."

"Hey! You trusted me once before!" Zuikaku protested.

"Yeah, and I had mashed potatoes and gravy in my hair for almost a week afterwards," Kaga retorted.

"That's beside the point!" Zuikaku insisted.

Kaga laughed. "Remind me why I put up with you again."

Zuikaku laughed. "Cause you know Akagi would have your hide if she knew you were being antisocial again." She turned and looked over at Bismarck and her companions, who were themselves fighting a smirk. "Oh relax. Anyway, we'll get you three set up for the night and worry about everything else tomorrow."

"Alright. We have our own stuff, though," Bismarck said, fight a yawn.

"Alright good. That makes things easier. As of right now, each pair of carriers, myself and Shokaku, Akagi and Kaga, and Souryuu and Hiryuu, have a dorm of their own." She paused, and looked over at Kaga, who nodded. "For right now, until better housing can be found, we can have Akagi and Kaga stay with us, and you can use their dorm, or you three can stay with us. What's best for you?"

Bismarck looked at Graf and Eugen. Graf shrugged. "I would rather not inconvenience Akagi and Kaga, if possible. If it were me, I'd opt to stay with you two." She looked and Bismarck, who nodded.

Zuikaku smiled. "Alright then. Let's get you guys moved in and then call it a night."

"Ok. We left our stuff down by the docks, so we'll go grab it, then meet you back at your place, then?" Bismarck asked.

"Sure that works. See you in a few then!" Zuikaku saw them off with a wave. The group continued walking back to their dorms, discussing the new changes to their lifestyle. The rest of the night passed as had been discussed. Within the hour, all three newcomers had been settled either in the spare bed, or in Eugen's case, on a cot. None of them complained, simply glad to have a place to rest.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Anyway, I guess we own you guys an explanation, huh?" Zuikaku asked, looking at her three newest roommates. None of them were even out of bed, despite it being almost 0930. Mutsu had somehow managed to slip away from Nagato's watch for a few minutes, and happened upon Zuikaku and Shokaku helping Graf move in. She'd confirmed that Bismarck and her companions would be staying with Zuikaku and Shokaku for the duration of their stay, nodded, and turned to go.

"An explanation would be nice," Graf added, stretching. "The rivalry between the three carrier groups here was something we always looked at with a bit of confusion. I can understand some competition, but you six seemed to be at each other's throats more often then not."

"Hehe. Yeah, about that," Zuikaku said with a chuckle. "Some stuff happened just last week that was probably the main reason everything around here's changed so much. We'll explain it all, but first, I need breakfast."

"Of course you do, Zuikaku-san," Shokaku said, giving her sister a playful shove. "There's a great café nearby that makes wicked breakfast, especially American food. Their pancakes and sausage are dangerously good." Zuikaku glanced and Bismarck and Graf, who were sitting bolt upright, staring at her with awestruck faces.

"Yeah, we're going then, it seems," Eugen said, laughing. She poked her friends. "Guys, you two still alive?" Bismarck and Graf were on their feet, dressed and almost out the door before any of their hosts had their shoes on.

"It would seem that those two are no different from any other battleship, except maybe Yamato and Musashi," Shokaku remarked. "Well, if we're up then it'd be safe to assume that the others are up as we're going to get something to eat, it's only fair that we at least invite the others." She stood stretched, and disappeared to get herself dressed for the day. Zuikaku sighed, and began to do the same. 20 minutes later, All nine had gathered in front of Zuikaku's dorm, and began walking back to Mamiya's once again.

"An explanation?" Bismarck prompted.

"Ah, yes." Hiryuu grinned. She saw Zuikaku and Kaga both trying not to squirm. Souryuu laughed as well. "Come on now, this is one story that we're never forgetting, Sorry." She cleared her throat.

"Anyway, every year we have a competition for the carriers of Yokosuka. They form 2-man teams and compete in a few different events. Kaga and Akagi had won the past three years straight, and they made a big deal about it."

"That's putting it lightly," Zuikaku muttered.

"Heh. Anyway, yeah, so Kaga and Akagi entered again, as they always had, as did Zuikaku and Shokaku. Even though they did statistically better, AKagi and Kaga were able to make up lost time after Kaga ran aground." That got a laugh from Bismarck. Zuikaku snickered. "So in short, Akagi and Kaga took the competition again, despite Zuikaku and Shokaku's best efforts." Hiryuu continued.

"As a result, Kaga took to gloating again, and Zuikaku's morale plummeted. She eventually picked up and fled north. Headed for Vladivostok, Russia and spent a couple days there. When Shokkau found out she was missing, she found myself, Hiryuu, and the other two, and informed us of what had happened. Kaga took that opportunity to explain that she only meant her taunting and snide comments as a way of "friendly competition." Hiryuu made air quotes with her fingers. Kaga facepalmed and Bismarck laughed.

Souryuu took over. "Yeah, I had a hard time believing her at first too. Yet there were more pressing things on our minds, and we went straight to Nagato, who thankfully asked only a few questions, before calling together several cruisers and breaking us up into groups to go after Zuikaku. We spent the rest of the night preparing, and left at first light.

Kaga cut in. "Yeah, and thankfully none of you were arguing too much with each other, with the obvious exception of Maya and Atago. I won't go into all the details; those can asked about at a later time, but we made it Vladivostok and were reunited with Zuikaku. Thankfully, Gangut, who's in charge at Vladivostok, was friendly, as were Kirov and Sovetsky Soyuz. When we got back, Nagato was beyond pissed at first, and she came close to locking her in her dorm for a week and a half. We intervened and prevented that. By the next week, everything had more or less gone back to normal."

"Uh, Kaga, I think we overshot," Eugen interrupted.

"What? Oh, damn. My bad," Kaga apologized. She followed the others back towards the café. "I'm gonna need this. Never ate much yesterday."

"Agreed, Kaga-san, I'm hungry," ," Bismarck murmured. She glanced at the others, blushing a little. "Sorry."

"Nah. You're always hungry, so we expected you to say that before too long. Especially since we're getting food," Prinz Eugen said with a smile. Kaga was laughing quietly with Zuikaku. "I had to say that, Bis. You know that."

"Yeah, I did. It's always you who says something to me about it too," Bismarck sighed. "I am kinda hungry though. It's really nice of these girls to bring us here. Although I do wonder where the waitress is…"

"Sorry, sorry. I've got a lot to do this morning. Coming now," a familiar voice called from the back of the shop. "Well hey. It's been a while, eh?" Mamiya asked happily, although she seemed a bit tired.

"Yeah, it has. A bit too long, I must say. We've missed your cooking," Shokaku said with a warm smile.

"Although I don't think I know you three..?" Mamiya went on, looking toward the German girls, seated across from her favorite regulars.

Bismarck looked up and sighed. "I'm the battleship Bismarck. With me are the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen-"

"Just call me Eugen, please," she said quickly. "Sorry, Bis" 

"Not at all, sis. Anyway, also with me is the carrier Graf Zeppelin." Bismarck went on.

"I usually just go by Graf, cause it's easier to remember and quicker to say," she also said, glancing at her friend. "Sorry, Bis."

"It's fine. Anyway, we're essentially here on a goodwill mission. We're here to ensure good relations between the European shipgirls, operating out of a Naval District in Scapa Flow, and your District," she said, sounding increasingly bored as she went on.

"Well, that's nice to know. Some people at least care about international relations. Anyway, enough with introductions. What can I get you three?" She asked, pulling out a pad and pen.

"Uh, sausage and bacon. Side of eggs, over medium, if you wouldn't mind," Bismarck said politely.

"Same here, thanks!" Prinz Eugen called.

"Wow. You sure you two aren't sisters? You even order the same food!" Mamiya said with a giggle.

"Yeah, we've been told," Prinz Eugen said. She looked at Bismarck, and blushed slightly. Mamiya pattted Eugen on the head.

"You're cute. Stay that way," Mamiya said with a smile. "And you, dear?" she asked, turning to Graf Zeppelin, who was trying to hide a smile behind her silver hair. She was failing miserably.

"I-I'll just have a short stack of pancakes. Nothing fancy," she managed.

"You got it. Be right back!" Mamiya said with a laugh. She turned and hurried away.

Akagi frowned. "She's not usually like that. Something's bothering her. I'll ask her about it when she comes back. She's usually a lot more mellow and relaxed." Kaga nodded.

"Having her of all people in a bad state is very bad indeed. Her café is a source of comfort for everyone at this district, and-"

"Kaga. You're overreacting. It's probably just something minor. She'll be fine," Zuikaku said with a smile. "Ah, that's our food." She glanced over at Mamiya, who was making her way toward the group with a tray.

"There we are, my friends. Enjoy!" she said with a smile that didn't make it to her eyes.

"Hold it, Mamiya." Shokaku called. She stood and walked over to the older woman, who turned, surprised. "You don't seem well. You're not as relaxed as normal, and you're way too hyper or something of the like. What's going on?"

"It's not something you guys would be interested in. It's nothing really," Mamiya said quickly. She stood to leave. Graf Zeppelin reached up and grabbed her arm.

"Look, I don't really know everything that you do for the girls around here, but these four are some of your biggest supporters. They care about you deeply; you seem to serve almost as an older sister role for them, yet you can't tell them what's cleary bothering you a great deal? Please, let us help." The four carriers stared at her in surprise. Yet they nodded.

"Please, Mamiya. Have a seat. Let us help you, or at least tell us what's going on, eh sis?" Zuikaku asked softly.

"O-ok. Very well." She allowed herself to be guided into a seat next to Bismarck. "It's, well, it seems kinda pathetic when i say it out loud-"

"I'm going to stop you right there," Kaga said firmly. "There's none of that talk here. What we discuss here stays here until you want it known."

"Very well. In short, parts of my shop have fallen into bad disrepair, and Nagato and Mutsu found out. I was told that I had two weeks to get it fixed, or my place would be be repurposed . That was pretty much right after you guys got back. In other words, I'd be sent somewhere else where they could fund a new shop, and this place would be torn down." She paused, and couldn't meet their eyes. "In other, words, I have 6 days to figure out how to effect repairs, then carry them out. I can't manage that" She turned away to hide her tears.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The four Japanese ships looked at each other in horror, but that horror soon changed to sympathy and determination. They locked eyes with each other, and nodded. Mamiya frowned. "What are you guys planning? You have a 'we're planning something major' look in your eyes, similar to the one you wore when you blockaded Nagato in her office with outdated equipment you guys found from heck knows where, just for the fun of it. What are you thinking?"

"What are we thinking?" Akagi asked in indignation. "We're just figuring out what we need to do to get you back on your feet." She looked looked from Mamiya to her friends. "We can, and will help you fix up, but first off, you need some rest. So why don't you take the day off with us and just go for a walk, take a bath, or something relaxing? I'd be willing to bet that i could count on one hand the number of times you've done that since Nagato visited."

Kaga nodded. "You need R+R just as much as any of us. You're the source of it, but remember that you're just as much human as the rest of us, except for maybe Nagato.".

Mamiya sighed. "It' be hard" We'd need to get the whole back wall essentially rebuilt. That would take a long time, even with you four helping."

"I think you mean, 'us seven'", Bismarck corrected. "We may be new here, but we're not gonna sit back and just allow another friend to lose something so important to her. Count us in!"

Kaga smiled. "See, you'll be fine. We'll talk to Nagato, even lock her in her office again."

"T-thanks, guys. You have no idea how much that means to me. I was certain I'd be packing my bags before too long." Tears came to Mamiya's eyes. Bismarck put an arm around her. The others slid around to the other side of the table and embraced her in a group hug. None of them moved for nearly five minutes. Mamiya was crying, and the others were sure to remain there for her as long as she needed.

"Well how about we all go for a bath, then take it easy today. We'll start working tomorrow." Zuikaku proposed. No one argued.

"A bath does sound nice. I don't go on missions so I rarely have a reason to go to the docks. But today, I think I do."

"A bath is always a good way to be introduced to a new base," Bismarck agreed. "Why not? Just let me finished eating," The other nodded, turning back to their plates.

Mamiya stood. "I'll be right back Just have to grab a few things," She left.

Zuikaku turned to Bismarck. "So why'd you agreed to help us? Not that I'm complaining, it's just you three hardly know her,"

Bismarck shrugged. "I can see how much you six care about her. She seems a bit underappreciated, as a person. I'm sure everyone loves her cooking. If those eggs were anything to go by, they'd be crazy not to. Yet i've got a feeling many people only see her as the nice girl who makes them breakfast. You guys see her as a genuine friend, and I think she sees you in a similar way." She leaned back and finished her drink.

.

Hiryuu nodded. "Souryuu-san and I are close sisters, but we're the same age. Mamiya, being a bit older, fills an 'older sister' role of sorts. It's nice to know someone cares about you like that. Before I came here with Souryuu, I didn't really have anyone that I was close to, except her. When I first came in here, Mamiya was one of the first people here who was nice to me. I owe her greatly." She stood, "Well let's get going then." The others followed her, and as Hiryuu waited to let them leave, she pulled Souryuu aside. "Tell the others to go ahead. I'll talk to Mamiya for a moment. We'll be right there." Souryuu nodded. She patted her sister's shoulder, and left.

As Hiryuu made her way to the back of the shop, she noticed Mamiya was standing alone in her office. "We need to talk, Hiryuu." She spoke a bit quieter than she usually did. Hiryuu nodded. Mamiya grabbed her by the arm and pulled out the door, following her friends, but staying far enough behind that any conversation wouldn't be overheard.

"Am I really that important to you? I never thought of what I did as that out of the ordinary." Mamiya looked at Hiryuu, more confused than anything else.

Hiryuu nodded. "Yes, you are. You're important to everyone here. Especially us six. And you seem to have made a good impression on Bismarck on the other two as well." She paused, trying to figure exactly how to say what she wanted to convey. "But I guess I find you all the more important since you were one of the first people other than Souryuu that was actually kind to me, in a personal way. I'm not the most outgoing person here, that's probably Naka. So to have someone reach out to me the way you did, it was a huge boost to my confidence, knowing that I could confide on you." She paused, and looked Mamiya in the eye. "That is something I don't think I can repay. So at the very least, I would be more than willing to give my time up to ensure you can stay here."

Mamiya wiped away a tear, then pulled her into a hug. "I've always tried to be that sort of 'older sister' figure for the newcomers here, whether or not they're staying or not. Very few seem to catch on, and even fewer actually think to thank me. So thank you, Hiryuu-san. All of you guys are like sisters to me, and you've always been my biggest supporters matter what. And that is something _I_ can never repay. We'll figure this whole repair business out somehow. Hiryuu, don't worry about me. If all of you guys help out, we'll make everything else work out." Hiryuu nodded, sighing. "At least I can get some R&R today. Then I'll be able to think clearly." The two followed Graf's white cape towards the docks. Hiryuu glanced at her friend, glad to see she was feeling better already. It wasn't good for her to be in a depressed state, for several reasons.

Two hours later, everyone met once more in the back of Mamiya's shop, to get an idea of the damage, and discuss plans to effect repairs. Kaga had come up with the great idea to have Akashi join them She would have a much better idea of what needed to be done, how, and how long repairs should take.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Akashi said simply. "While the rear wall is pretty badly compromised, the surrounding area is unaffected. If we can get the wall removed without further damage, then it can be rebuilt relatively quickly." She looked at Mamiya, who looked a bit more relieved after hearing Akashi's explanation.

Akashi looked around at the gathered girls. She leaned back against the outside wall of the shop. "So we got this, then right? We'll show Nagato that we're not letting her force our friend away if it's the last thing we do here."

"You bet we will!" Hiryuu said fiercely. The others simply nodded in grim determination.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Bismarck groaned. She sat down heavily on a crate in the back of Mamiya's shop, where a wall had stood a few hours prior. All eight the girls had spent all week helping Mamiya break down the deteriorating wall in her shop. It was backbreaking work, and without Akashi's help, they wouldn't have even gotten as far as they had now.

"Damn, I'll feel this tomorrow," Bismarck said again.

"Bis, we all will. We've been moving rock all week," Graf Zeppelin sighed. "If we're not all but bedridden tomorrow, then Mamiya won't owe us free drinks."

"Hey! You guys volunteered to do this. I didn't ask you to. You'll all be getting free meals from me for the rest for the time you are here. That goes for you three, too," she said, looking at Bis, Graf, and Eugen.

"Danke, danke!" All three chorused. "We'll be taking advantage of that for sure."

"Well I think that's enough for today. We'll clear all of this tomorrow. Thanks you guys!" Mamiya said, wiping her brow. The others came together for a group hug, before heading back toward their rooms. Only Hiryuu stayed back, walking over to Mamiya and giving her a hug of her own.

Mamiya sighed. "We've been at this for a week. The question is, can we really finish this up before Nagato comes for my place?" She paused, staring at the ground. Hiryuu looked over at her, then put an arm around her shoulders.

"You'll be fine. We've gotten this much done. We'll see the rest done. Trust me." She gave the older girl a squeeze. "Let's get back, eh? It'll get dark, and we can't have you staying outside all night alone, can we?"

Mamiya forced a smile. "Yeah, good idea. Although I'd rather not have to spend the night alone on the floor. Do you think I could ask Kaga-san for a different place to sleep?"

"I'm sure of it. Despite how Kaga may have once been, her personality pretty much did a 180 after Zuikaku left a while back. If you'd rather, you can share a place with me and Souryuu for the night, until Kaga can figure something out. The other two rooms are getting quite crowded, with four residents and the German girls too. Adding us two as well really makes it tight. I may ask if the five of us can use Zuikaku and Shokaku's old dorms for a while, until we get you fixed back up and the Germans head home." Hiryuu paused. "Seems weird, saying that they'll be heading home, leaving here, at some point. Feels like they've been here forever, huh?"

Yeah, it kinda does. Probably cause we've been working with them and living with them for a week straight, almost," Mamiya mused. She yawned. "We should be close. I need a quick snack, them I'm off to bed. Been a long day, hasn't it?

"Quite. I'll have to eat something too. I think they said they had leftovers from some other time we ate at your place. At least it'll be familiar food," Hiryuu mused, yawning herself.

"Ah, this looks familiar. Should be just around the corner of that building, right?" Mamiya asked. She pointed to one of the dormitories.

"Yeah, those are my official quarters. But I don't use them anymore, at least right now." The orange-themed girl paused as they neared the dorms. Standing on the steps was a familiar looking girl, wearing green. She didn't look happy. "Uh, Mamiya, can you give me a minute? It appears that my sister wants to have to have a talk with me. I'll be back soon." Hiryuu asked, her voice slightly strained.

Mamiya put a hand on Hiryuu's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll wait for you." 

"Thanks, I should only be a few minutes. I'll try to keep things brief if I can." She took a deep breath and walked up to meet her sister.

"Did you really tell Mamiya about what happened when we got here several years ago? We both know stuff happened then that is best left buried and never spoken of again.. She sighed. "I don't mind you discussing some of your past with Mamiya or the others, but somethings need to be forgotten. Please, Hiryuu, don't do this. Ok?"

Souryuu's anger seemed to have spent itself out, replaced only by worried sadness. In her mind, she flashed back several months. The mistakes they'd made, and the humiliation, while everyone involved had moved on, Souryuu still remembered, and she was sure Hiryuu did as well. How Hiryuu could have ever dug up old memories like she apparently had, Souryuu had no idea. She wasn't angry per se, but just saddened to have to be reminded of past events.

"Souryuu. If you keep on burying bad memories, you'll never escape them. So I chose to discuss how being humiliated and played made me feel, as Mamiya was probably feeling the same way, although not as strongly. I'm not entirely over everything that happened yet, but I do know this. Hiding how you're feeling, or how you felt, does nothing to make you feel better. Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and talk about it." Hiryuu looked her sister in the eye, trying to reason with met her eyes briefly, then nodded. She said nothing. Hiryuu put a hand on her shoulder. Smiling slightly, she turned and made her way back to where Mamiya was still waiting for her.

"Hey. Everything ok?" Mamiya's voice carried a bit of concern in it, although she knew Hiryuu and her sister were very close, and wouldn't end up in lasting arguments if they could at all help it. Still, she couldn't help but worry slightly when she saw Hiryuu's face. She looked a bit paler than normal, and Mamiya suspected it wasn't just the moonlight, Souryuu had seemed pretty shaken by something, and although she could hear the conversation, it had affected Hiryuu more than she cared to admit.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Hiryuu said, fighting a yawn. She seemed more tired than she'd been just a few minutes prior. Looking at her carefully, Mamiya put a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to stop. "What's wrong?" Hiryuu asked, confused.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Mamiya said.

Hiryuu looked at her for a moment, then laughed quietly. "Really, it's nothing to be too concerned about. Souryuu wanted an explanation about why I discussed the stuff we talked about earlier with someone else besides her. I gave her an explanation, which satisfied her. Nothing more, nothing less. We're all good, really. So don't worry about me." She smiled confidently, then started walking again. "Come on, Mamiya-san. I'm tired. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Mamiya sighed. "You don't need to remind me," she said, trying to remain upbeat. But if she was to be honest, the impending deadline was making her very concerned


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Wait, what? No, we fixed everything by the date Nagato had told you, right?!," Zuikaku asked frantically.

"Well, apparently Nagato changed her mind. It wasn't worth fixing my place up, despite your help. She wasn't happy at all that you three, who are here on a 'goodwill mission', to use her exact words, were helping by doing that kind of work, even though I specifically told her that you guys-"

"Volunteered to help you!" Bismarck yelled.

"We weren't gonna sit back and let our friends loose things they held dear," Prinz Eugen added, her voice cracking slightly. "And that goes for everyone here." She indicated both the four Japanese carriers, and Mamiya.

After all, they all stood to lose things close to them. Akagi, Shokaku, Zuikaku, and Kaga would lose their favorite café, and more importantly, their good friend. Mamiya would also lose her favorite customers, who'd become like family in the years they'd all been been at the Naval District. Yet that was a mute point now. Mamiya had been called to Nagato's office that morning. She'd been confused, yet the others had been confident, telling her that they were confident she'd be fine. They'd agreed to help her, and they'd gladly go talk to Nagato themselves if they had to. Mamiya had walked to Nagato and Mutsu's office without much concern, believing that her friends were right.

Nagato diagreed. "I cannot believe that you allowed our visitors to work like that. More so, we already discussed this. We cannot spare resources to fix something unnecessary to the function of this district. Your place will be closed, and you will sent to another base with either the funds, or the facilities to allow you to work there. That is final. Now leave."

"Ma'am, I didn't-" Mamiya started.

"Enough! I don't want excuses! You messed up. This base doesn't need you, and your place is in disrepair. That is final," Nagato said, standing up angrily. With nothing to left to say, Mamiya had no choice but to bow, and get up to leave.

She paused, however, and turned to Nagato. "You may think that this base doesn't need my services. I will go public with this, and we'll see if that's still true." She voice was quiet and calm, but carried a undertone of anger, and confidence. Nagato said nothing.

Mamiya had turned to leave, a plan forming in her mind.

"Yeah, so anyway, I told Nagato that I'd go public with her threat, but there isn't time for me to really do much before I leave, later today." Her shoulders slumped. "I made a threat that's gonna end up mute. What else is new?" She leaned against the wall, and couldn't meet anyone's gaze. Hiryuu put an arm around her.

"Hey if you don't have the time to go public, what makes you think we won't do it for you? Even if you have to leave, we'll make it public. We're not gonna let Nagato drive you away without a fight," Hiryuu said, her voice angry, yet confident.

Mamiya looked at her, her eyes full of desperate hope. "Would you really do that?"

"Who do you think we are? Of course we will!" Soryuu insisted. She put a hand on Mamiya's shoulder. "It's not gonna be hard. Lot of people visit or pass by your place every day. Just because Nagato doesn't doesn't mean no one does. We'll put signs up saying that your were forced to leave because Nagato said there wasn't money. We'll get money quick enough. We'll be able to talk to many girls, especially if we mention that it's Nagato's doing. She's not popular, and that will be her undoing. She's sending away the District's favorite restaurant owner. That will guarantee a lot of support. We may even be able to rebuild a new café for you. Akashi and several others would be more than ready to help you out. If not, we can convince them pretty easy. Don't fret. You'll be back soon enough," Mamiya said nothing. Hiryuu looked at her sister, concerned..

Mamiya hated it, but eventually, she had to bite the bullet and pack to leave, at least for now. The eight girls made their way down to Mamiya's cafe, one last time. She headed to the back, where she kept her few personal things. Grabbing a few small bags, she turned to her friends. She'd only started to really get know Eugen, Bismarck, and Graf in the past few weeks, but she already felt like she'd known them as long as she had her regulars. All the others were visibly fighting tears.

"I-I never thought this would happen. I'll gonna miss you so damn much. Curse Nagato. We _will_ make sure you can come back!" Zuikaku sobbed. The others were crying now.

Mamiya wiped the tears from her own eyes as they continued walking towards the docks. "Well' I'd better get going. Otherwise _she'll_ be after me. Stay safe. I'll be back. Oh, and you had better keep yourselves well-fed." She voice got serious for a moment, before she smiled briefly.

Despite their pain, the others cracked a small smile as well. "We will. Don't worry." Kaga looked her in the eye. "We'll fight for you here. You just make sure that you keep healthy."

Mamiya nodded. "Hell, I'm gonna miss you guys. Love you all. See you soon!" The last they saw of her, she was sailing off into the morning light, waving at them, until the glare of the sun forced them to turn away for a moment. When they were able to look back, she was nowhere to be seen.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Nagato was running out options. Even though she'd made sure Mamiya had left before she could go public, as she'd threatened, her ever-loyal gang of carriers and exchange ships had taken up the slack for her. No sooner had scouts reported that she'd left, then the meetings had started. And they hadn't stopped for several days. Once the seven that had worked with Mamiya had posted signs on the remains of her shop, telling anyone with questions to pay a visit to the former dorms of the 5th Carrier Division, Nagato had seen hardly anyone besides Ooyodo and Mutsu at all.

Some who came out to hear Kaga or Zuikaku speak had been skeptical, but after hearing several speeches, all confusion was displaced. When Akashi had analyzed the remnants of the old wall, and other pieces, she'd explained, she'd realised that not only was the wall badly damaged, and that Nagato had not only refused to provide funding to repair it, but also attempted to cover up the fact that she sent Mamiya packing.

As a result, Nagato now found herself locked once again in her office, courtesy of the three Sendai-class cruisers. What was even worse was Naka. She had been dancing and singing a duet with Kongou for the past three hours straight. When they'd grown too tired to sing, Hibiki took over, followed by Zuikaku and Shokaku, then Kaga when she'd able to catch a break. She groaned, and tried to clear her head.

" _BANG! BANG! BANG! koi no shuhō de!/BANG! BANG! BANG! uchinuku hāto-"_

"Please," she groaned.

" _BANG! BANG! BANG! jōnetsu no gyorai, hassha shichau yo/BANG! BANG! BANG! junbi wa OK!"_

"Make it stop," She was close to banging her head through the wall to relieve the headache.

" _BANG! BANG! BANG! iza shutsugeki/kitto gōchin saseru yo!"_

"Nagato, I hate to say this, but all this chaos is mostly your doing. You should have agreed to fix up Mamiya's place." Mutsu put a hand on Nagato's shoulder. I'll suffer with you, if it makes you feel better. However something also tells me that that's not the last we'll see of Mamiya. I have a feeling those German girls will have something to say about us forcing her out. Talk about making a bad first impression." Nagato only sighed.

Bismarck gulped. She looked at Zuikaku and Kaga. They'd been doing most of the talking over the past few days, and while they'd been very successful, with many calling for a revolt against Nagato, and pledging money to help build Mamiya a new shop, they were getting tired. Kongou had spoken briefly, when she and Naka had proposed locking Nagato and Mutsu in their office, among other things. They'd left the stage to cheering and applause.

Now there was a lot riding on Bismarck's shoulders. She'd have to make a good impression if she was to be taken seriously, she figured. She was new here after all. "You really want me to make a speech about my take on this incident? I'm the newest girl here…"

"Exactly. So you can talk about how Nagato has given a bad first impression of the district to you and your companions. It's perfect!" Zuikaku countered.

"A-alright. I'll try at least, but I've never been good at speeches," She said, taking a deep breath. Both girls put a hand on her shoulders. Bismarck stood, and walked out to the makeshift stage. Everyone rose and applauded, although there were some murmurs of confusion, probably due to her being new. She smiled nervously, glancing around. To her great relief, she spotted Graf in the crowd, off to the right. Good. Someone she could look at without it feeling awkward. She waited a second more, for everyone to somewhat quiet down. Only then did she realise how many girls were actually present. Everyone from a Mutsuki-class destroyer to a Kongou-class battleship, and everywhere in between. All looking at her, expecting something great.

"Good evening. I'm sure you all know why we're gathered her again. We've lost a great asset and friend. Although I've only been here for a few weeks, I got to know her well. Mamiya is one who always looks out for those she serves. She is an important asset to this base's affect functionality, and she must brought home. That brings me to my next issue to address-my purpose for being here. As I've already mentioned to Zuikaku and Kaga and the others, myself, the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen and the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin are here on a goodwill mission. We live and work out of a similar district to this one in Scapa Flow, Scotland. We're here for a few months to ensure good relations between out District and yours. However, that will be quite hard to do if the main source of good relations, a great cafe, and more importantly, the incredible woman who ran it, have been displaced by the incompetence of the base commander." She was forced to pause as cheering and calls of "HEAR, HEAR!" came from the audience.

"I came here anticipating working alongside and living with you and your commander, then being able to return home confident that we were once again on friendly terms. However, due to the lack of effort from the _secretary_ ship here," she paused, making air quotes with her fingers, "that may not be possible."

She paused again, unsure of what else to say, so she decided to mention an idea that had been resting in the back of her mind since Mamiya had left. She picked up her mic once again and held up her hand, as she often did back home. "One last thing before I turn the mic back over to Kaga. Nagato has not told anyone where Mamiya was sent. Yet that can be remedied." At this the entire room fell silent. They everyone started speaking at once. Bismarck held up her hand again. "One question at a time, but first let me finish. We do know where Mamiya has been sent, and I do plan on doing something about it."

"If you have a plan, then what is it? Are we gonna help her?" Kongou called out.

"What about Nagato? If she gets wind of the plan we're dead." Ashigara called out.

"It doesn't matter. An idol never allows one of her friends to remain alone!" Naka called, standing.

"Alright, alright!" Bismarck called, taking back control. "As for your questions, I'll deal with those now. Of course we're gonna help her. Yes, Nagato could pose a threat, but she's only one girl. Even with Mutsu, who I don't think is going to try to stop her sister, they don't pose too much of a threat. If she tried to intervene, we'll use force if need be." Everyone cheered. "Naka's right. We aren't gonna let Nagato or anyone keep Mamiya from us. That's why we're going after her. We're going to the Nakasaki base and bringing her home. Anyone who wishes to go is welcome, and can sign up with Eugen and Graf in the back. That will be all for me. Thank you. Let's do this!" She set the mic down and turned back to Kaga and Zuikaku. The room was silent for a moment, then Bismarck had to clap her hands over her ears to block out the deafening cheer that erupted from the assembled crowd.

Bismarck grabbed Kaga and Zuikaku by the arms and pulled them over to a quiet corner. "I needed to. I'd had the idea in my mind for a while and I think we should do something for her. I'm sorry if-"

"Don't worry. We were planning on doing something anyway. Now we'll have backup," Zuikaku said happily.

"Yeah, I think the entire district is signing up to go with us,' Bismarck added with a sigh. "We'll see what the morning brings. Shokaku is planning to put signs up at the door as well, but I don't think that's necessary. Half the district's going. There's no stopping them."

"Good. When do we leave?" Kaga asked.

"We're leaving tomorrow night. I'll announce it now. All who are going will prepare now and tomorrow morning. We'll sail as soon as the sun goes down."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

By late afternoon, Nagato was finally allowed silence again. It had been her first period of actual quiet in 36 hours. That worried her. But she was unable to leave her office to investigate. While Kongou and Naka had briefly left earlier in the day, they'd been back within a few hours, not enough time to attempt to breakout. She assumed that the quietness was everyone mourning or being mopey. Yet Kongou and Naka hadn't seemed that way at all, and it bothered her a bit. Now, she was seeing and hearing more activity on the base than she had in almost a year. What was going on?

"We all set?" Bismarck called. A cheer went up from nearly 40 fellow girls ready to leave. Of course they were ready. No one had slept the night before. They were too wired to sleep. "Alright then." Bismarck turned to the water.

"Battleship Bismarck, setting sail. Sally forth!" She leapt into the water, followed immediately by Graf and Eugen, and 6 carriers. The rest of the fleet began leaving by ship class. Destroyers followed by cruisers followed by battleships, followed by more destroyers. More cruisers and another squadron of battleships brought up the rear. Bismarck smiled. Even though she was new here, the others had accepted her leadership without question. She quickly set a demanding pace of 30 knots, as time was of the essence. As the day drew on, she began to get bored. She thought for a minute, then began quietly singing an old song she'd loved back at Scapa Flow.

" _O'er the gelid waves of galactic streams, Set course for the fixed star of Centaur."_ She paused, self-conscious, then heard singing behind her.

" _Our glorious cosmoship crosses o'er the void far, Beyond those twinkling stars"_ She turned in surprise. Graf and Eugen were also singing, as were Zuikaku and Kaga, and the others. She smiled.

 _Set Sail! We're casting off, anchors aweigh/Stand on your bearing, steady as she goes!"_ All seven of their voices mixed into the chorus.

" _Steady as she goes!"_ Came a multitude of voices behind her. Bismarck jumped in surprise.

Kaga grinned. "Yeah, that one used to be very popular around here too. I haven't heard it in years. Needless to say, we all remember it well." She turned back to the others, and nodded.

" _Weather your helm towards the stars/We are Pilots/We are Pilots of the Cosmos!"_ Everyone began singing together. Bismarck was beaming. She even had the audacity to turn around and begin conducting, using one of her torpedoes.

" _Oh, now as we sail o'er the Kuiper Belt,/we've left the blue Earth behind us/Far beyond the trails of cosmic wakes,/We can see the event horizon, our heading/Set Sail! We're casting off, anchors aweigh!/Stand on your bearing, steady as she goes!"_

Bismarck heard the pause, and knew they wanted her to fill in.

" _Steady as she goes!"_ She used to be a little self-conscious about singing out loud, but now, given the circumstances, and who she was with, she found she didn't care. She got the impression no one else did either.

" _The sea of stars is this ship's destination/We are Pilots/We are Pilots of the Cosmos!"_

Despite the conflicts and emotional upheaval of the past few days, she found herself grinning. "Alright everyone," She paused in her singing. "That was fun."

"Got that right. Again!" Atago called from somewhere in the back. More cheering.

"In a moment, Atago. First I want to let you know that Nagasaki is within a day's reach. We'll be there by late tomorrow night. We're planning to arrive just out of patrol range, then myself and one or two others will go in the following day, when it's light out, in order to attempt to negotiate.t. That way we should appear less threatening. How's that sound?" She looked to everyone else. General murmurs of agreement were all that was needed for Bismarck to nod, then pick up her torpedo and turn back to her fleet.

" _...The sea of stars is this ship's destination/We are Pilots/We are Pilots of the Cosmos!"_

"Well, this has been fun, to say the least. Regardless of what happens later, I have a feel that this will make a good story for when we get back home," Graf mused. "Hold it, I think that's that coast of Nagasaki off our starboard bow. We're a bit too close. We need to pull back."

"Ah, shoot. We're too close." She turned back to her choir. "Hey, guys! Take a break for a second!" Everyone stopped, a slight bit disappointed.

"What's the event? Why'd we stop singing?" Kongou complained.

"Heeeiiieeeeee!" Hiei whined.

"Now if we'd been paying a bit more attention, then we'd have noticed what's off our starboard bow." She pointed over her shoulder. The lights of the Nagasaki Naval District gleamed, growing more distinct with every minute. "We'll need to turn back. NOW!" She rarely raised her voice, but the need was there. Without another word, the entire fleet made a careful, gradual, 90-degree turn to port. Only once a safe distance had been put between her fleet and the Nagasaki base, was Bismarck able to totally relax. "That was too close. We'll have to stop the singing for now, just till we make sure that we haven't been spotted.

"Damnit. I liked singing." Ashigara growled. "Why do we need to lay low?"

"Cause we don't want to be spotted. If we are, the the mission's scrubbed. We get spotted, they'll notify everyone in the area of an unidentified fleet near a major naval district. We'll have to haul ass back north and try again, later. For now, we wait and hope for the best."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Mamiya's heart sank. She dropped her head. "Why me, Nagato? How did I offend you? All I'm doing is just providing food and supplies for the girls around the base, you included." She shook her head. All that was left for her to do was to make her way to Nagasaki, and hope that Hiryuu would be able to do something to help her out. She'd even gone as far as to promise to come and get her from the new base. She'd initially tried to convince Nagato to let her figure something out properly, yet it seemed that was not going to work. Nagato was too set in her belief that Mamiya wasn't needed, yet all the evidence pointed to the contrary. Nearly a year ago, when an Abyssal air raid had badly damaged her shop and gotten her as well,, she'd been out of action for nearly a week, and it had badly hurt morale. Nagato har refused her an instant repair bucket, saying it was needed for 'actual fighting ships'

She sighed. Her best options now that she had been displaced, it seemed, were to try to negotiate a deal with the base commander. Yamato had told her that her sister, Musashi, was in charge at Nagasaki. Musashi had a bit of a arrogant personality at first, but if Mamiya mentioned that she was friendly with Yamato, she may gain favor. Yamato had even been nice enough to write a letter for Mamiya to give to her sister.

Mamiya traveled for the better part of two days, though the night. Exhausted, she'd arrived late in the afternoon, and was greeted on the pier by Musashi, whom Yamato had described for her, and another two girls who identified themselves as sisters Fusou and Yamashiro. Neither had really met her eyes when she asked them anything, only lamenting that they were unlucky enough to end up stuck with the new girl, again.

Musashi had smiled apologetically at her. "Those two seriously need to get a grip. Anyway, you have something for me? I'll take it now." She held out her hand, beckoning.

"Oh, yes." She dug around her her coat, pulling out Yamato's letter. "Here. Sorry it's a bit battered."

"It's fine," She muttered absentmindedly. She scanned the message quickly. "Well, we weren't planning on keeping you anyway. So this isn't a problem. Let's get you settled into temporary quarters. Then we'll see about a place for you to work while we wait for your friends to arrive, as my sister has said they will. I trust her judgment at least."

Mamiya looked at Musashi with a guarded expression. "You said you weren't planning on keeping me here? Where was I supposed to end up then?"

"Rabaul," was all Musashi said. "Now let's go, I don't have all day." She started walking back towards what Mamiya assumed was either the dorms or Musashi's office.

Mamiya signed. "It could be worse. I could actually be going to Rabaul." She followed Musashi up the road. The building, it turned out, was Musashi's office, where she worked with Taiho. Taiho looked up when she entered, greeting Musashi, and nodding to Mamiya as Musashi led the way to the stairs. She headed up the stairs without looking back. Stopping at a small door on the right, she looked at Mamiya.

"You'll be staying here. Everything you should need is there. Bathroom is across the hall. Lights out is officially at 2200, but I usually forget. Breakfast starts at 0500 for you, since you'll be making it." She winked at her. "I'll show you that once you're all moved in."

"Alright. I don't have much with me, so that'll be quick," Mamiya said, opening the door. "I'll be right out, just gotta put this down." She walked over an set her bags down on the floor next to the small bedside table. "Alright, let's go then" She looked at Musashi. "What? Is something wrong?"

Musashi blinked. "No, it's just that, well, you're not complaining about the room. Most guests do. It's either to small, or too secluded, or too something. A few even said it's too big."

"What?"

"I know, it makes no sense to me either." Musashi agreed. "But anyway, how do you make do with this? It annoys everyone else in one way or another…"

Mamiya shrugged. "I don't want to sound ungrateful, I guess. It is a bit smaller than the room used to have, but I'll make do." Her face fell momentarily, but she tried to hide it. Musashi raised and eyebrow, but didn't say anything."It's really nice of you though, giving me a room in your office for the time being."

Musashi nooded. "You need a place to stay. I have one. Why not?" She started walking. Mamiya followed her outside. "I'll show you where you'll work tomorrow. Then you can get something to eat, and then some rest. You'll probably need it."

"Yeah, thanks, Musashi. When I get back, I'll make sure to do something for you."

"Oh there's no need." Musashi said. They walked on is silence for a while. Mamiya's thoughts drifted back the home, and to her friends. They would be trying to form a rescue plan right now, if what Hiryuu had said was working. She wasn't sure. Hiryuu must have been just saying that, right? To keep her spirits up?

"Hey, you alright?" Musashi asked. "You've got a really long face, and you look depressed." There was a surprising amount of worry in her voice.

"I'm fine. Just thinking. My friends back home said they'd come to get me, but something's telling me they were saying that just to keep my spirits up. I don't really know anymore." She sighed, and didn't meet Musashi's eyes.

"I-I see. That's never fun, trying to figure out something like that. Is there anything else?" Musashi's voice was surprisingly caring. Something told Mamiya that Musashi wasn't usually like this..

"Yeah, there's the girls I roomed with briefly before I was forced to leave. Hiryuu. Her sister Souryuu. Partners Akagi and Kaga. And the other pair, sisters Zuikaku and Shokaku. They were all regulars at my cafe. They tried to help fix up my place, along with a few others staying at Yokosuka as part of an exchange program. That obviously didn't work. When we all found out that I'd have to leave, every one of them cried,." Mamiya paused. Musashi glanced at her, sympathetic.. "What?"

Musashi laughed. "Someone you really care about, huh." Mamiya nodded. "It seems this Hiryuu cared about you as well." She patted her should once, then sighed..

Mamiya thought for a moment "I guess she did. They all did. Zuikaku, Kaga and the rest." Musashi looked at her. "I like her a lot. Hiryuu's become a sister of sorts for me, I guess."

Musashi thought for moment, then looked up. "I don't think for a second that they've abandoned you. Based on the letter Yamato wrote, they'd be sending someone to collect you from here. You've been a bit removed from what you're used to. That can be hard. I wouldn't worry too much if I were you." She put a hand on Mamiya's shoulders. She smiled. Mamiya knew that Nagasaki had a reputation for being "different," but she wasn't too apprehensive. Sure she'd miss her friends, but she trusted they'd be able to reason with Musashi to arrange her return home.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"I think I can make that work. It'll be early, but it's nothing new." Mamiya yawned. She'd gotten the tour of the kitchen and bakery where she'd been working for the past two days. Musashi had walked her back to her room above her office, and seen her to her room. "Thanks, and Musashi. I definitely owe you one," she vowed.

"Like I said, don't worry about it. Just helping my fleet out is more than enough." Musashi said, patting her shoulder. "If you need anything tonight just let me know. I'll probably be awake until 0200 or so. I usually am."

"What!? No, Musashi. I will not have you staying up that late doing paperwork while the rest of us here enjoy sleep. If you're gonna do work, then I will help you, and then you will sleep. Understand?"

Musashi's eyes flared momentarily, then she paused, seeing the look on Mamiya's face. "You're-you-ugh! You're teasing me!" She playfully shoved Mamiya once. Mamiya laughed, then looked Musashi in the eye. "Alright fine. Let's get this over with." She stood, beckoned for her to follow, and headed back downstairs. Sitting down at her desk, she pulled up a chair for Mamiya and handed her a pile of papers. "Those are mostly reports of Abyssals that we've already dealt with. They just need to be sorted based on the week of the reports. Make as many piles as you need. Extra folders are in the drawer next to my leg, on your left. This shouldn't take too long." She sighed.

After several hours, Mamiya dropped one last, fat folder into the bottom drawer of Musashi's desk.

"Thank you. I needed this help. I could never ask Taiho to help me; she's got enough trouble keeping up with her own work." Musashi paused. While everything that would be sorted that night was done, the two were still up, having a shot of scotch, which surprised Mamiya. Where Musashi managed to get scotch from, she had no idea, although something told her she had plenty more where that one had come from. They sat in silence for a while, and Mamiya could tell something was bothering Musashi. When she initially asked Musashi what was bothering her, Musashi gave her a glare, so Mamiya asked her nothing for a while, although her concern was growing.

"It's just, well, I've got a problem." Musashi said it so quietly that Mamiya first thought she was imagining things.

"Yeah? What's bothering you?" Mamiya asked. She looked over at Musashi, who wasn't one to volunteer personal information.

"Yamato." Musashi spoke so quietly that Mamiya almost didn't hear her.

"Come again?" she asked in confusion.

"Yamato. My sister." Musashi repeated. "A while back, when were still at the same base, Rabaul, actually, we had gone on a mission to clear a nest of Abyssal forces. We'd both gone due to the sheer number. Everything had been going fine, and I figured that I could nail the last few ships myself. Yet no sooner had I told Yamato this and moved away then I sensed something in the water. An Abyssal destroyer had gotten one last salvo of torpedoes away-" Her voice broke. She buried her head in her hands.

Mamiya looked over at her, her face sympathetic. "And Yamato took them for you?" Mamiya asked, her voice soft.

"Damn it all! It's stupid. Two years have gone by and I still feel guilty about it." Musashi looked more sad than angry, although her tone of voice suggested otherwise. Mamiya could tell Musashi still felt the guilt, even if she wanted to forget it.

"No, Musashi. I understand. It's not your fault. Yamato chose to take those for you, because she cares about you. Musashi?" She reached for her shoulder. She was taken by complete surprise when she saw Musashi crying. Musashi, of all girls, crying. Her shoulders were heaving with sobs. "It'll be alright, Musashi. I'll be here for you as long as you need me tonight." She didn't hesitate to pull her into a hug.

"It makes no damn sense! How the hell has Yamato been able to move on from that? She nearly sank. She was in the docks for nearly two weeks. " Her voice broke. Mamiya held her, just letting her cry her feelings out. Finally, after nearly half an hour of crying and shaking, Musashi went quiet. She had fallen asleep from exhaustion.

Mamiya sighed. "Let's get you to bed." Not knowing where Musashi's room was, and since it was close to 0100 and she couldn't ask anyone where she slept, Mamiya had no choice but to let her use her own room, the same one that Musashi had given her to use just that afternoon. Carrying her as carefully as possible up the stairs, Mamiya brought the worn-down battleship into her room, and laid her down on the single bed. Covering her up, she couldn't help smiling, before spreading a couple of spare blankets on the floor, and passing out herself.

As morning came, Mamiya awoke early, as she'd agreed, and headed to the kitchen to help cook breakfast. She was a little sore from the night before, but thankfully, it was Saturday, and the breakfast crowds were light. After a few hours, she was able to turn the reins over to another girl who introduced herself as Katori, and headed back to the office to see if Musashi was up yet. "I wouldn't really be surprised if she was still asleep. She's been working really late a lot, so I'll probably just let her sleep. She needs it more than I do." She entered the office and was nearly bumped into Taiho. "Oh good morning Taiho. What's up?"

"Oh, sorry. Just got distracted. Have you seen the boss at all? Musashi? I never heard her come up last night…"

"Yeah. She needed help with paperwork, so I agreed to help her with that. We didn't get done till late, and we talked about some personal stuff for a while. She fell asleep at her desk, so I carried her upstairs and she's probably still passed out on my bed."

Taiho nodded. "You're nicer than I'd have been. Usually I just let her sleep here."

Mamiya nodded. She turned and headed upstairs. The door was still closed. She couldn't hear anything from inside. She knocked once. A tired groan came from within. Smirking, she opened the door. Musashi was indeed still in bed. Although, to her credit, she was waking up. "Rise and shine, Musashi!" Mamiya called. Musashi turned and looked at her drunkenly.

"What?" She asked. "What's going on? Where've you been? And why am I in your bed?"

Mamiya smiled. "It's almost 1100. You've been asleep since about 1. You passed out on your desk due to exhaustion from crying. I just got back from cooking food for a few hours before switching out with Katori. So now I'm back here."

Musashi's eyes widened "You-you let me use your bed?! Why?"

"Simple. You needed one. I didn't know where yours was, and I sure wasn't gonna let my friend sleep on the floor."

Musashi followed her gaze to the blankets laid out on the floor beside her. She added two and two easily enough. She stood, and embraced Mamiya quickly. "Thank you so much. I needed that. I owe you one."

Mamiya smirked. "Ok, I'll remember that," she said, only half teasing.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

As night fell, restlessness and excitement grew. Most of the girls in Bismarck's fleet had been awake for early 50 hours, having not slept since the mission had been announced. The excitement and nature of the past two days had provided more then enough energy. Yet the entirety of the mission now rested on their ability to make it into the waters of Nagasaki without being fired upon too much.

Bismarck sighed. "Well, this is it. Make or break time. Let's do this. One and done guys!" She glanced at Graf and Eugen. "What? I've never been great at these speeches. You know that." Graf sighed.

Eugen hugged Bismarck as best she could while wearing her equipment. "You'll do fine. You've gotten us this far with zero mishaps. I trust you'll do fine. Bismarck nodded.

"Hey, you three all good up there? We can't wait much longer eh?" Kirishima called. She was trying to appease her sister, who seemed to have endless amounts of energy and was still sailing in circles singing something to herself. Kirishima facepalmed. "Kongou-san here's seems to have all but lost it.."

"At first light, Kirishima. Bismarck and the others went over this already. Listen next time, eh?" Yamato called over. "Also," she went on, "I sent a letter with Mamiya. I think Nagasaki is where my sister Musashi still works. She should still be in charge there. Is so, then getting Mamiya out shouldn't been to much of a hassle. Musashi should have already informed the watch about out arrival. We haven't been delayed at all, so the times I gave her should still be correct. We'll need to hurry though. I didn't give her much of a window. As soon as possible, Bismarck."

"Sure thing, Yamato. We should have Mamiya back within a few hours, if all goes well,' Bismarck said, trying to give the fleet an idea of time. Everyone cheered.

"Alright. It's getting light. Yamato is right, we need to get moving." She turned to her fleet, one that she'd only been in command of for few days. "Everyone, anticraft positions, Formation Charlie. As we discussed. Hurry now!" Her usual, cheerily, lighthearted tone was gone, replaced by a calm, businesslike, determined voice that exuded confidence. No one argued.

"Yes Ma'am!" came the single response. Bismarck could only look on and marvel at the speed with which the fleet reorganized themselves. Everyone spread out wide, to give the others room to maneuver. First the six big carriers grouped themselves in a circle, and readied aircraft, the light carriers doing the same right after. Battleships organized themselves in a circle, ringing the carriers to provide covering fire. Cruisers ringed the battleships. The destroyers formed up in a few groups at both ends and each side of the fleet. Bismarck couldn't help but crack a smile. She was new, had never worked with these girls before, yet they'd listened to her without a questioning comment or look, and they were sharp while doing it.

"Alright, guys," she said quietly to Graf and Eugen. "Let's get ourselves into position. They nodded. Bismarck took her proper place at the head of the fleet. Behind her, Prinz Eugen and Graf Zeppelin formed the other points of the triangle. She turned once more to check her fleet's positioning. Satisfied, she turned back to the front. Raising her voice, she called loudly, "Battleship Bismarck, setting sail! Sally Forth!" As one, the fleet followed her, the carriers launching bearly their entire air wing, which formed up and acted as an air umbrella of sorts. It was comforting. Bismarck didn't rush.

As they continued on, Graf pulled up next to her. "What going on? Why'd you break formation?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot you get like this during missions. It's the cruisers. They get anxious. Nerves, I'd guess. Why not sing a bit. It'll help with the tension." Graf smiled slightly.

Bismarck turned. "You guys can sing, but I have to focus now." No sooner had she spoken then the choir picked up.

" _O'er the gelid waves of galactic streams,/Set course for the fixed star of Centauri!"_

Smiling in spite of herself, Bismarck turned to the front again. They were getting closer. She asked Graf to put up a few planes for actual recon. With the planes up, Bismarck was able to relax some. Finally the towers and antenna of Nagasaki Naval District appeared on the horizon. Graf and Eugen peeled off the tell the others to end their concert, which was quite good in Bismarck's opinion.

"Be on guard; one can never be too prepared. Watch now," Bismarck called. As the fleet drew near, the high cliffs around Nagasaki can into clearer view, she was almost relaxed. "We might make it in and out unscathed." No sooner had she closed her mouth then the water erupted in front of her. Simultaneously, more splashes threw water over Graf and Eugen. "Incoming fire! Flank Speed. Turn around and get out of here! Destroyers, lay a smokescreen. Commence zigzagging!" Bismarck screamed. She fired a few smoke shells from her main guns, trying to add some smoke to what the destroyers were laying.

As soon as she saw Hibiki disappear into the smoke, she turned as well, to follow the rest of the fleet out of danger, and the world turned to white in front of her with a bang. She heard Graf and Eugen yelling her name, then nothing. Water was lapping at her knees, but she was powerless to stand.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"Bis, Bis, wake up! Wake up damnit!" Eugen was calling her name, tears pouring down her face. Graf's eyes were a bit red, and the entire fleet was silent, waiting, watching. Bismarck had been picked up, unconscious, by the destroyers Shimakaze and Akizuki, who'd volunteered to return in an attempt to rescue her. She wasn't responding to either of her friends' frantic calls. By default, Graf was now in charge, but that wasn't her concern right at the moment.

"Graf, I've got two contacts. One appears to be a battleship, the other a carrier. Both closing fast, nearly 30 knots. What should we do?" Hiryuu called frantically.

Graf groaned, and stood. "Send an escort of planes to meet them. If it is a battleship, send a large group. Watch for fighters from the unknown carrier with her. Battleships, prepare for surface action. Possibility still exists that they are hostile." She turned back to her friend. Hiryuu nodded, and the carriers began launching their air wings once more. Graf stod briefly, in order to put her's into the air as well. She then turned back to her friend, who was breathing a bit more steady now. Akashi came over to take a look. She examined Bismarck for a few minutes, then turned to the fleet, all of whom had fallen silent as Akashi worked.

"She'll be fine. That one shell that landed close stunned and knocked the wind out of her. She'll come around in a few minutes." She turned to Graf and Eugen. ""You two keep an eye on her for now" The rest of the fleet let out an audible sigh of relief. Eugen and Graf had been visibly shaking, yet they were holding together for the time being.

Musashi was cursing herself. She'd known a fleet was coming for Mamiya, but she's confused the times. While the previous guards had known, those who'd gone on duty five minutes prior hadn't been briefed. Now possibly one girl had been sunk or severely damaged, and the fleet had turned away behind a smokescreen. Mamiya had been horrified, but Musashi had ordered her to stay behind. She, as commander, would go to seek out the fleet, if it was still in the area. She hurried with Taiho to sortie. Mamiya watched her go, hoping that she'd come back with what she was sure were her friends.. Now she was picking up a large wave of aircraft coming in from the sea. Worried that they were coming to retaliate against her base, she'd ordered Tahio the launch fighters, despite the overwhelming numbers they were confronted with. The planes appeared, off their starboard beam. However, instead of continuing towards the district, they changed course, heading for Musashi and Taiho. Yet they didn't close to attacking distance. The two kept an eye on them, as they continued towards the estimated location of the mystery fleet. As the distance closed, they planes closed in, and Musashi received a message in plain english.

"Attention approaching ships. Halt where you are. Other ships will come and meet you. Any further advancements will be assumed to be hostile, and will be acted upon accordingly."

Musashi paused. She glanced at Taiho, who nodded with a grimace. "You probably won't be greeted too warmly, given the incident in the harbor. We'll just have to play it safe for now." Musashi nodded. She and Taiho eased to a halt, and the aircraft overhead commenced circling.

"What do you think Taiho. Is it worth waiting?Or should we ask the planes to escort us back to their fleet?" Musashi was getting impatient. As a result, she was getting harder to pacify as the wait grew longer.

It was getting close to nightfall. As everyone waited, Graf and Eugen, who in charge by default, were discussing what to do about meeting the two ship sighted earlier in the day. Eventually, both decided to send a detachment of battleships and cruisers out to meet the two. Graf looked over her fleet count, and then to Kongou.

"I want the four of you to go with your sisters, Nachi, Atago ,Myoukou, Maya and Ashigara, and meet the two ships Hiryuu spotted earlier. When you meet them, do NOT approach with a hostile attitude. We don't want to escalate things any more than they already are."

Kongou nodded. "We'll do our best, Graf." She turned to the others, who nodded.

Graf forced a smile. "Good. You're in charge of these girls. Make sure they come back. Try to bring the others with you, please!"

Kongou saluted. "Yes, ma'am!" She turned to her fleet. "Let's go, guys. Let's do this. Follow me!" Without a question, the fleet turned after her. Ashigara rolled her eyes as they eased out, but didn't voice any complaints. Kongou was hurrying; it was getting dark, and she didn't want a confrontation in the dark. Before long, she stopped and held up her hand

"Alright, we're getting close. We'll need silence from here on out, until we make contact, ok?" Kongou sighed, and looked around at those under her. "We will do this. Let's hurry. It's getting darker as we speak." She headed off, the other girls in tow. Soon Ashigara taped her on the shoulder

"Hey' I've got two contacts dead ahead. They're not moving. Hiryuu's planes are still there. That's them for sure."

"Alright good. Well done, Ashigara." Kongou patted her shoulder, then turned to her girls. "Alright, you know what to do. Diamond formation." She took a deep breath, then assumed her position at the point of the diamond. Soon they could see two specks on the horizon. "This is it girls! Stand fast!"

Musashi sensed the approach of surface ships before she actually picked them up. She grew alarmed. Taiho had picked them up as well. They looked at each other with a growing sense of nervousness. Four battleships and five cruisers. Closing fast. Well, they'd agreed to meet them, so there was nothing for the two to do except wait and hope the approaching ships were not hostile. Soon they also had visual on the nine ships closing in. As the others came closer, they fanned out, so as to make themselves harder targets. Musashi identified the girl in charge. She was wearing white, and had long dark brown hair. The other three with her must be her sisters; they were dressed the exact same. The others were a bunch of widely different ships, but they had clearly worked with each other before. The girl with brown hair stepped forward.

"Good evening. I am the Battleship Kongou, lead ship of the Kongou-class battleships. Who's in charge here?" Kongou's eyes were unreadable, and her voice carried a cold undertone none of her sister had heard before..

Musashi stepped forward. "I'm in charge. Battleship Musashi, second of two Yamato-class battleships. With me is the carrier Taiho. Pleased to meet you." She offered her hand.

"Likewise," Kongou said, taking it. "There's a few things our flagship would like to ask you. If you'll come with us, we'll take you to her."

Musashi's eyes narrowed. "Why should I do that?"

Kongou shot her a glare. "I'd be willing to bet that you aren't pleased with the events of this morning. Neither are we. We'd like to get everything sorted out, peacefully if possible. We'll guarantee your chance to share your side of the story, and then go from there. Please, Musashi, do this for the sake of all of us." Kongou looked her in the eye, and finally, she nodded.

"Fine. Let's get there before it gets too dark." She turned to Taiho, and exchanged a look of relief. At least they'd gotten somewhere. As the two Nakasaki girls were placed in the center of the formation, Kongou took her place at the front once again. All too soon, they were looking at the mass of ships waiting for them. Those returning were extremely relieved to see Bismarck back on her feet, ablett held up by Graf and Eugen. She was relieved to see them back. She glanced at her friends, then stood on her own. Sailing over to the returning ships, she glanced over them, glad to see everyone safe and unhurt. Suddenly a cry came from behind her.

"Musashi! You're here! I haven't seen you in months!" Yamato ran to her sister, wrapping her in a bear hug. Musashi wasted no time wrapping her sister up in a hug as well, despite the fact that Yamato and the others with her had been fired upon by Musashi's guards a few hours earlier. Sighing, Bismarck turned to Musashi's second-in-command.

"Well, it's dark, and we're out here in the middle of nowhere." Taiho nodded. "We might be better to head back to your district for now. We can sort things out there. Does that work for you two?"

"Yeah, that's probably better!" Musashi called over. She was standing with an arm around Yamato. She looked happier to Taiho than she had in weeks. Taiho knew wh, but she said nothing.

"Alright then, that's settled. We'll head back and talk things over there. Oh and Bis?" Kongou added.

"Yeah what's up?" Bis asked.

"Nah it's fine. I should lead. I've been down all day. I think it would be good for morale if I lead. Maybe next time." Bismarck replied.

Musashi was looking forward to being back. So was Hiryuu. She'd been away from Mamiya for way too long. Now she'd finally see her again. She was shaking with anticipation. Fighting a smile became impossible.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Musashi leaned back in her chair. She yawned. It was about midnight. She'd spend the past several hours working out details of Mamiya's removal back to the Kure Naval District. Afterwards, she'd laid down only one condition.

"I'll have Mamiya go back with you, but you have perform that song in concert. Here tomorrow night, before you leave. Also, that other one you loved, Kongou? You and your sisters have to perform that one, and Naka does her's." Musashi said with a smirk.

"In other words, you want us to put on a concert tomorrow night for your district? After which we are able to leave with Mamiya?" Bismarck asked. She seemed to fighting a smile.

"Yeah, that's the idea," Musashi answered.

"Alright. I think several girls have songs they can do." She turned to her fleet. "If you have a song and would like to perform it, raise your hands. Bismarck put hers up as did Hiryuu, Kongou, Haruna, Hiei, Kirishima, Naka, Kaga, Yuudachi, Hoshou, Zuikaku, Shokaku, Fubuki, and Hibiki.

"Alright, that's ten songs. We'll have a full concert to perform. We'll do it," Bismarck said with a smile. Now if you don't mind, it's been a long day for all of us."

"Of course. You all need places to sleep. I only have the that Mamiya uses upstairs, and that won't fit more than two."

"Speaking if Mamiya, where is she? I haven't seen her all evening…" Hiryuu asked, her voice filled with concern..

"She's finishing up a stint at the kitchen. She'll be back within the hour. Yes, she knows you are here; nearly everyone does. Don't worry. She missed you, yes, if that's what you're wondering," Musashi said. She sounded tired, but also a bit teasing..

"Anyway, let's get you set up for the night. We can push my desk and Taiho's against the wall, and layout bedrolls for everyone, if you don't mind close quarters." She glanced around. No protests. "Good. Let's move." Moving the desks was the easy part. Getting everyone situated was not. Musashi had a small office, and with nearly 40 girls needing sleeping space, they ended up packed in like shells in a magazine. No long after, Musashi came back in, and looked at what was once her office.

"Well I'll say you guys did a hell of a job, fitting all that into this tiny space. Now then, Taiho will show you where you'll do your concert tomorrow night." Taiho waved from the doorway, and everyone rose and followed her without too much in the way of questions.

 **I apologize for the short chapter. Didn't have much to write here. The next ones will be normal length.**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

As the following day wound down, the girls were set to perform that night got themselves ready and headed down to prepare for the concert. Excitement was high, as many were looking forward to a new audience. Bismarck, however, was still fighting nerves. She was the only one slated to sing two songs, and although she'd done them both more times than she could count, she'd never sung in concert. Musashi, walking next to her, read her anxiety.

"New to this concert business?" She asked with a smirk.

"Sorta. I sing with the fleet when we sail, but never for a crowd like this." SHe forced a smile. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

Musashi nodded."Yeah, alright. We'll go sit in the audience if you'd prefer. To calm nerves."

"If you don't mind, yeah. Are you sure though?" Bismarck was relieved, but she didn't want to burden Musashi and her friends too much.

"Heck, I don't care. We're your friends. That's what we're here for, eh?" MUsashi asked with a smile. She put a hand on Bismarck's shoulder. "I have to go. Good luck!" She headed for the stage. As she began to announce the singers for the evening, Bismarck made her way backstage, where the others were waiting to perform. Musashi was now announcing the order of the singers. "...and our performers in order are myself, Hiryuu, the Kongou sisters, Naka, Kubuki, Yuudachi, Hibiki, Zuikaku, Shokaku, Kaga, and Hoshou . Bismarck will then wrap up the night leading her fleet in a song they've enjoyed singing in their free time. Now without further adieu, let's get this night going!" She paused, headed over to grab the mic, lights dimmed, and she began to sing.

Watching from the back of the audience, Yamato locked eyes with her for a moment, before Musashi looked away. Musashi didn't look her way at all after that. Yamato's heart sank. Although she'd moved on from the pain of two years prior, she could tell Musashi was still feeling guilt. Even her tone of voice when singing, although the song itself wasn't conveying it, the way she sang, her hand movement, the look in her eyes after she'd turned away from her sister.

As Musashi finished singing, Yamato realised her eyes were wet. Wiping away tears she didn't know she'd shed, she stood and went to find her sister. Musashi had left the stage, brushed off Kirishima, who'd noticed that she seemed upset, and headed for the door. Sighing, Yamato followed her. She discarded her umbrella, which she usually carried, and followed her sister. Not saying anything, she watched Musashi follow a footpath down to the waterfront, away from the bustle of the base's everyday life. Yamato could easily appreciate the secludedness of the stop, and suspected that Musashi hadn't told too many, if anyone, else about it.

Musashi sat down on a old rock, and hung her head. Even though she was standing a good 20 feet away, Yamato could see her shoulders heaving. If she strained, she could hear her quiet sobs. Concerned, she walked over to her sister and sat next to her. Musashi glanced to her side, and Yamato's heart broke. Musashi was a wreck. She normally deeply-tanned face was pale, and streaked with tears. Her eyes, although not anymore red than their normal color, were still blurry.

"Musashi, what's going-" Yamato started.

"Stop! Just stop. It's not fair! How you can act so damn calm and relaxed around me?" Musashi yelled. "After that stupid crap happened?" Her voice cracked, and she collapsed on her knees. Yamato looked at her, then knelt next her. Musashi wouldn't meet her sister's eyes. She had stopped crying for the moment, yet she was still sniffing.

Without saying anything, Yamato picked her up and guided her back to the rock. Pulling her into a hug, she held her close, and simply said, "I act calm because acting angry or sad all the time around those I care about doesn't accomplish anything. I moved on from that, Musashi. You can do the same." She squeezed her sister gently. Musashi looked up at Yamato. Her eyes were desperate, yet hopeful.

"You've moved on? You mean you don't even care that my carelessness almost got you sunk?" How?" Musashi still sounded a bit upset, but her anger-fueled yelling had subsided.

"I don't let it bother me anymore. Simple. And anyway, the key word here is almost. Sure I _almost_ sank. But I didn't I'm still here, and so are you. We won that day, and we both survived. Beyond that I don't really care. You shouldn't either. Focus on living your life and running this district." She looked her younger sister in the eye. Musashi nodded.

Yamato stood. "Well, I should be getting back. I think Bismarck was planning a dance or something." She turned to leave, but was stopped by a hand on her arm. Turning, Musashi pulled her into a hug. Surprised, Yamato stiffened for a moment. She wasn't used to this type of affection from her sister, who tended to be a bit more impulsive and haughty. Yet the change in her demeanor was welcome. Yamato hugged her back.

"Thank you, Yamato," Musashi whispered. "I don't tell you this enough. But I needed this. As long as you're ok with what happened, then I will try to be as well." She she pulled away enough to look her sister in the eye. "We really should be getting back, though." She smirked.

"Agreed, sis," Yamato said.

As they walked back in peaceful silence, Musashi felt more at peace than she had in many months. If she was to be completely honest with herself, she was anticipating the dance that Bismarck was supposedly planning. She shivered slightly. It was getting chilly, and she wasn't' exactly wearing the warmest clothes. Yamato put an arm around her shoulders. "It's kinda chilly out here, eh?" Yamato asked. She was shivering a bit as well.

""Damn right it is," Musashi agreed. "I'm looking forward to that dance you said Bismarck was planning. What'd ya think? Fancy a dance?" She asked.

"I just might. I just might," Yamato mused.

When they'd made their way back to the concert hall, plenty of noise could be heard coming from within. Musashi looked at Yamato, confused. Yamato shrugged. Opening the doors, the two immediately clapped their hands over there ears. Bracing themselves, the two opened the door again, and made for the back of the room as quickly as was possible with the crowd.

"I was _not_ expecting this!" Yamato yelled over the din.

Musashi nodded. "Hell, neither was I. I guess we'll just have to wait it out. It's not _that_ loud anyway. We'll get used to it." She glanced at Yamato, who nodded, then smiled.

"What'd you say we crash this one?" She asked with a smirk.

Musashi grinned. "Now you're talking. I think you may actually be my sister yet." She lightly punched her sister in the arm, then pulled her towards the mass of people gathered around Kaga, who'd abandoned the stage for the floor and closer proximity to her fans. Unfortunately for both Yamato and Musashi, no sooner had they gotten there, then Kaga finished up.

"Well this sucks," Yamato sighed.

"Yeah," Musashi agreed. She watched in confusion as Hoshou was joined on stage by Bismarck. "What's this?" She asked, glancing at her sister.

Before Yamato could say anything, Bismarck had grabbed the mic from Hoshou. "Well, as a way to wrap up the night, as Hoshou sings, the floor is open for anyone to dance with a partner of their choice. Enjoy all!"


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

For a moment no one said anything. Kongou raised her voice. "Uh, what?" She glanced around. "We're able to dance with a friend? As in a slow dance?"

Hoshou nodded. "My song is a slow one. I"m not one for fanfare and all that. So to answer your question, yes. A slow dance with a friend is what Bis is talking about," She finished. Another moment of silence. Then cheering. Many calls of 'hear, hear' and calls for a toast came from the crowd.

Houshou raised a hand. "Alright thank you, thank you. We'll have a proper toast, and a proper celebration, later, once this is over, but for now, we'll dance here. The lights please, Musashi?"

"You got it."

With the lights off and the room darkened, it became much harder for everyone to find their desired dance partener. Akagi had easily found Shokaku, and Kaga knew where to find Zuikaku, yet Hiryuu was lost. Souryuu hadn't really wanted to dance, which had come a surprise.. Last she'd seen, Mamiya had been on the other side of the room, chatting with Katori about cooking. Now she had no idea. She jumped with a yelp when someone touched her shoulder.

"Now really, Hiryuu. Is that the way for an attack carrier to act when they're caught by surprise?" came a soft, teasing voice behind her. Turning with a knowing smile, Hiryuu recognised Mamiya's laughing face.

"Hey, I'm not in the mindset of a carrier right now. This is a dance, and you're just standing there. What's wrong with this?" Hiryuu defended herself, and finished with a soft smile. Mamiya said nothing.

As Hoshou continued to sing, Hiryuu looked up at Mamiya. She smiled, yet her face must have become serious, because Mamiya paused for a moment.

"Hiryuu? Is everything alright?" She asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm just a little confused." She paused, then went on. "I guess I don't really get why you chose me, of all people."

Mamiya looked at her for a moment, then smiled slightly. "Why I'm so much more friendly and close to you, rather than Kaga and Zuikaku, or Akagi and Shokaku?" She asked with a soft smile. Hiryuu nodded. Mamiya thought for a moment before answering. "I suppose it's because you were supportive of me back home, yet without being overly dramatic and loud. I don't really like loud active stuff, and I guess you come across in a way that's more appealing to me . You've made it easy for me to always have someone I can just talk to. The others are great, don't get me wrong, but their primary focus are their partners or sisters, as it should be, but your's is helping me out. You've become like a sister to me, Hiryuu. I really appreciate it. It's nice, knowing someone thinks of you that way."

Hiryuu blushed "Well thank you! I'm honored. But about that dance…"

"Yeah, I can do that," Mamiya said with a wink. She glanced around. Yamato was dancing a slow with Musashi, who looked happier than Mamiya had ever seen her. Fubuki had found Kongou, and although the battleship was many times her size, Fubuki seemed not to care.

As Hoshou finished singing, Bismarck took the stage again. She looked a bit nervous, and Mamiya couldn't blame her. She'd never heard this song that everyone had mentioned, and was surprised when practically half the girls present left the dance floor, Hiryuu included, and headed for the stage. Bismarck was joined by Graf and Eugen. Graf still seemed a bit flustered, having been asked to dance with Taiho. Bismarck plucked the mic from Hoshou with a smirk, whispered, "You know where to go," to which Hoshou nodded, then turned to her fleet. "Alright guys,you know where to go. Let's make this one memorable!" Graf facepalmed and Eugen simply shook her head. Without missing a beat, Bismarck smiled, answered, "You guys know I suck and speeches like this!" and turned to the Nagasaki girls, who now looked thoroughly confused. Those on stage had arranged themselves into multiple rings once again, with battleships in the centre, ringed by cruisers, with destroyers on the four corners. Bismarck was at the head of a triangle formation with Eugen and Graf.

Bismarck addressed the crowd. "So this last song of the night is one I sang back at Scapa Flow, with my fleet there. When we left to come here, I sang it to myself with Graf and Eugen," She motioned to the two beside her. "Turns out the rest of the girls with me also sang the same song on their own missions. It's an older song called The Galactic Pilot, and I really enjoy it. Hopefully you will too." She turned back to her friends and pulled out one of her torpedoes, which got a laugh and a few calls of "That's not fair!" from many of the battleships and destroyers in the crowd, who either were upset that they didn't get them as well, or had always considered torpedoes to be their own specialty. Smirking, then taking a deep breath, she began to sing.

" _O'er the gelid waves of galactic streams,/Set course for the fixed star of Centauri/Our glorious cosmoship crosses o'er the void far,/Beyond those twinkling stars"_

Musashi looked around at the others gathered with her. While no one was really moving too much at first, as those on stage continued to sing, Musashi noticed many were beginning to tap their foot or nod their heads to what was being sung. Musashi herself found it contagious, and was humming along before she knew it.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

As morning dawned the next day, Nagasaki District as a whole remained quiet. Very few people were up and moving about. Since the concert/party hadn't concluded til nearly 0300, nearly everyone who wasn't involved in being on patrol, guard duty, or food preparation was still asleep. Mamiya was able to appreciate the quiet serenity that greeted her as she left Musashi's office and walked towards the small restaurant/cafe she had been working out of since she'd arrived. Thinking back over the previous few days, she found it hard to believe that she'd been worried about being sent on to Rabaul, where any attempts to find her would have been severely hampered.

"I can't think about that now. I've got a long day ahead. And a long journey after that." Mamiya smiled. As much as she enjoyed working and living alongside Musashi, Taiho, cand the others, home would always be Yokosuka. After the concert had wound down, Bismarck had explained that she would have to take her fleet, and Mamiya, back to Yokosuka the following afternoon. A short speech by both her and Musashi and finished up the night. Mamiya smiled just thinking about it. She knew that everyone who'd come would remember the memories of this mission with them for a long time.

After she'd spent a few hours working and serving the "early" risers that morning, the door opened once more, and Mamiya recognised Musashi and Yamato entering alone. She nodded to the two, before turning and heading out to meet them. The two looked over and nodded as Mamiya walked over. As she took a seat across from the two, she couldn't help but notice the ease with which Musashi interacted with Yamato now.

Musashi locked eyes with Mamiya for a moment, then stood. "Mamiya-san. A moment please." Mamiya looked at Yamato, who only smiled. Mamiya stood and followed Musashi outside. Musashi didn't look upset, but when Musashi asked to see someone alone, the result wasn't usually pleasant. Katori had told her several stories of different girls who'd gotten on Musashi's bad side. It hadn't ended well.

Musashi stopped right outside, and looked at Mamiya once again. Her face appeared unreadable. "Uh, Musashi? Are you-"

"I wanted to say thank you, Mamiya-san. Not only for helping out with running our base cafe, but also for the personal stuff. Yamato convinced me to finally see reason. You don't know how much weight that takes off my shoulders." Musashi smiled.

Mamiya nodded. "Of course. It's what I'm here for, Now I'm hungry. What'd you say we get back inside?"

A few hours later, Mamiya again stood at the docks, along with Musashi and her sister. Yet this time, Mamiya was backed by Hiryuu, Souryuu, and the rest of Bismarck's fleet. Finally, after what had been several of the strangest days of her life, she would be returning home. Musashi had said a few words, as had Bismarck. Mamiya had declined to speak, saying that she was ready to head home. She did lean over to Musashi and explained that she was already thinking about how to repay her for her kindness. Musashi attempted to wave her off, but Mamiya insisted. Musashi finally relented. Satisfied, Mamiya gave her one last quick hug, and turned to follow Souryuu towards the water.

Once the group had cleared the harbour, Mamiya was bombarded with questions concerning her time in she'd already discussed the important stuff with Hiryuu and the other carriers, most of the others who'd come to spring her hadn't. Mamiya spent the better part of the day answering questions and trying to understand what had gone on while she was away. It distracted her, and before she'd realised it, it was getting dark, and the lights of Yokosuka flickered on the horizon.

Ahead of her, Bismarck was getting nervous. Several others, Zuikaku, Kongou and Kaga among them, shared Bismarck's apprehension. They had, after all, departed after someone who had been sent away by Nagato, in direct violation of Nagato's orders. She frowned. "It's Nagato would be waiting out here, ready to chew us all time she wasn't, probably cause she was relieved to see Zuikaku back. Mamiya wasn't as important to her, so Nagato had disregarded her without second thought. Bismarck suspected that Nagato was either inept or simply didn't care all that much about those under her. Based off of what he'd seen of Nagato and her actions, she felt it may be a combination of both. As they drew closer to home, Bismarck could make out a figure standing on the wharf, accompanied by two others. She glanced at Graf and Eugene, who grimaced.

"Well at least we won't have to go looking for her. Removes that one problem at least," Graf sighed. "We've got bigger one to deal with anyway.," She was trying to remain confident, but she was feeling a bit nervous. Her and her friends weren't even from here, yet they taken half the base's girls and headed south with them anyway. Nagato had every right to terminate their mission and send them home.

Bismarck had come to a similar conclusion. Turning to those with her, who had also spotted Nagato waiting for them and were getting nervous, she knew she had to say something to them, as she may very well be forced to leave early.

"Well guys, this has been fun. However, given that Nagato's waiting for us, and that we've, well, _broken_ some rules, the possibility exists that Graf, Eugene, and I may be forced to return home if Nagato decides to dismiss us." Bismarck sighed. She didn't seem to be crying, but Kaga thought she heard Bismarck's voice crack slightly. She turned to Zuikaku and whispered something to her. Zuikaku's eyes widened, but she nodded.

"So I'm saying thank you," Bismarck went on. "It's been fun. I will definitely be able to say that the way all of you acted reflects much better on this district than the actions of Nagato and her staff. But for now, let's wait and see what Nagato's planned."

As the fleet drew in close to the docks and made landfall, Bismarck hurried to straighten herself and waited for Graf, Kaga, and Zuikaku to join her. Since they were the ones who'd masterminded and initiated the whole rescue plan, they felt they should be the ones to attempt to defend themselves. The others watched apprehensively. They knew that Nagato could be very much set in her ways and unforgiving, regardless of how much support someone had.

Maya remembered paying her a visit after she'd gotten into a brawl with Atago in the mess hall. No one had been hurt, the potatoes and barbecue sauce had been easy to clean up, and Atago had even admitted to starting it. Since Nagato had heard that Maya was the one responsible, however, she'd been the one to forced to spend the next week serving food rather than joining in a fleet exercise. Maya looked at Atago, and could tell she had thought of the same incident.

"And this is much worse than anything we ever got into. I'm actually worried about those four," Atago whispered. She glanced back at Maya, concern evident on her put a hand on her friend/rival's shoulder

"I wouldn't worry about them. With the possible exception of Zuikaku, all the others have the composition and logic to argue their points." She forced a smile.

Once again, Nagato disagreed with their every attempt to get her to see reason. Only Mutsu's attempts to prevent her older sister from attacking Bismarck as she attempted to explain herself averted a complete breakdown. 

Nagato was still beyond pissed, however, and nothing any of the four could say would at all calm her down. "Your incompetence and lack of discipline has brought shame on both yourself, and Scapa Flow Naval District. Furthermore, since you were operating out of Yokosuka, those actions have led others to question what goes on here. As the commander here, and as a result, your superior at this time, I have decided to terminate your mission. You, carrier Graf Zeppelin, and Heavy Cruiser Prinz Eugen will be leaving here tomorrow after noon. You have until then to say your goodbyes and pack. And perhaps explain to the others where you were wong." Nagato stood. "That is final. We will speak of this no more."


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

As Nagato stood to leave, Bismarck stood. Facing Nagato, she spoke.

"No." She didn't raise her voice, but it still carried through the room. Nagato turned. "I will not accept that." Bismarck's usual cheery, easygoing tone was gone. Her voice was hard and cold, a tone that even took Graf by surprise. Bismarck's eyes smoldered, and she kept her gaze focused on Nagato and Mutsu, who was trying to look small.

Nagato's face hardened. "I believe I made myself very clear. You three are going home. Period."

"And if we decide otherwise?" Bismarck asked. Next to her, Graf, Kaga and Zuikaku had joined Bismarck on her feet. Every one of them now stood alongside Bismarck.

"Sending Bismarck and her companions away goes against the reasons you originally gave as to why we should agree to this exchange mission in the first place, Nagato." Kaga growled. While she didn't have the same anger in her voice, her face had the same look of anger and disbelief. That same look was reflected on Graf and Zuikaku's faces.

"If you, as the one to have arranged this mission in the first place, are now the one to terminate it early, then that says more about your desire, or lack thereof, to work with other fleet and districts internationally," Kaga went on.

Nagato was getting more and more angry by the moment. Mutsu, however, was doing nothing to backup Nagato. She was only standing off to the side, attempting to stay out of the way. Mutsu cared deeply about her sister, but she knew Bismarck, Kaga, and the others had a valid point. "Nagato-san-," she began.

"Shut up!" Nagato snapped. She rounded on Mutsu, but Mutsu didn't blink.

"Nagato, I will deal with these four on my own for a moment. I'll be right back," She turned and motioned for Bismarck and the others to follow her before Nagato could say anything to stop her. Mustu led the four back towards her personal quarters. Ushering them in, she closed and bolted the door.

She closed her eyes and heaved a sign. Turning to look Bismarck in the eye, Mutsu tried to understand what Bismarck and the others wanted. "Alright explain quickly. What is it that you are planning?" She paused. "And don't hold back. If we're doing something wrong, tell me."

Bismarck nodded. "Well first thing first. I'll try to get the ugly bits out of the way quickly." Mustu nodded. She motioned for them to sit around her desk. "Neither you nor Nagato have much on any idea as to what's going on around here, as far as our personal lives are concerned. That is mostly why Zuikaku ended up leaving after the competition was over. Neither of you knew about the posters. If you had, they could have been removed, and Kaga appeased." Bismarck looked her dead in the eye. "Zuikaku's disappearance could have had seriously bad ramifications, Mutsu. You and Nagato both know that."

Mustsu nodded thoughtfully. "Alright. I can see the logic behind that. Is there something else?"

Bismarck nodded. "And then there's the subject of Mamiya's cafe." Mutsu winced. Bismarck nodded knowingly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "No one was keeping up with the conditions of any of the smaller structures around the district, and neither of you made it part of your routine to check in with Akashi. She made several attempts to inform you of the needed repairs, yet those fell on deaf ears. Again, this shows a lack of connection with those under you, and a lack of desire or care about the well being of Mamiya's business. You and I both know how much everyone enjoys her cooking and hospitality. Without a way to relax after a stressful day, or to connect with friends, morale drops quickly." She looked to Zuikaku, who was nodded in agreement.

"I mean, yeah. Even after stuff like Vladivostok happened, I would always go to Mamiya's to talk with Kaga and the others. For some reason, it feels more welcoming there than my dorms themselves do." Zuikaku paused to gather her thoughts. She spoke much slower and deliberately when she addressed Mutsu again. "When, via neglect and lack of connection, you allow something, and someone, who is beloved by everyone to be ejected from their position, not only does it affect our ability to fight, due to lowered morale, but it also negatively impacts your relations with those around you, as this is what you're supposed to be preventing." Zuikaku paused again, to catch her breath and allow her words to sink in.

Mutsu sighed. However, she moved her chair over to where she had a notepad on her desk and tore off a fresh piece.. "Ok I understand what you're saying, but what can I do about it? It's not like we could just apologize to everyone and say we're gonna try to do better. That'll just be hollow…' She trailed off, lost in thought.

Kaga put a hand on her shoulder. "It would be, but you can try to get Nagato to see sense. She'll at least listen to you. So that's the first option." Mutsu nodded. She wrote down what Bismarck and Zuikaku had told her needed to change. Finishing, she stood and stretched. She put the paper in her pocket.

"So I'll talk to Nagato by myself and try to get her to see what can be done to fix this mess up?"

"Yeah. And if that doesn't work, we'll be discussing that now, after you go out. We'll make sure this gets resolved as soon as possible." Bismarck gave Mutsu a smile, which she returned.

"Wish me luck," she said, and walked back out to meet her sister.

 **Update today. I will be away on Saturday, so I'm posting again today. Regular posting schedule will resume on Monday.**


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Bismarck sighed. She turned to Kaga, who had seemed to fill the position of second-in-command along with Graf as they'd worked more and more together. As she looked around the other two with her, the collective tension in the room remained, but there was now also a degree of worriedness.

"I guess there's not much we can do now. Just hope that Nagato doesn't kill Mutsu before she gets her point across," Zuikaku sighed. She sat back down and glanced out the window. Nagato wasn't even facing Mutsu, but at least wasn't yelling at her yet. Zuikaku could see that Nagato's patience was wearing thin, and Mutsu wasn't making much progress.

Mutsu sighed. "Nagato, can we have a moment?" Nagto nodded stiffly. She motioned to her desk, and Mutsu took a seat, setting her notes down to discuss them with Nagato when she had the chance. Nagato took a seat across from her, arms crossed.

Mutsu leaned towards her sister. "Look, there's still a way to fix this mess. And we won't be disgraced." Getting no response, she continued. "Mostly what needed working on was the fact that neither of us really got out much to interact with anyone besides each other and Oyodo. Since we were out of touch, no one knew what we expected, and we didn't know what Mamiya or Zuikaku or anyone else needed resolved or worked on." She paused, trying to gauge Nagato's reaction. She appeared to be listening, but made no move to show any sign she was taking anything in. Steeling herself, Mutsu went on. "Most of that is my fault. Since you were running the district at this time, I should have been the one to take care of things along those lines. However, one thing I must stress is that we made mistakes in allowing Mamiya's shop to fall into disrepair, as well as allowing Kaga to continue to make remarks and display posters that were both cruel, and unnecessary, and came close to losing a carrier."

At that, Nagato looked up, anger flashing in her eyes. "What? Lost? Lost as in lost in action, or deserted?" 

Mustu shrugged. "She never clearly explained what she was planning to do after she reached Vladivostok. But that main point I am trying to make here is the fact that once again, because we were not making ourselves easy to work with, and were unable to connect with those under us, especially the carriers, we nearly lost one. That is more of your department, so you may want to discuss that with Zuikaku." Mutsu looked again at her sister. She could tell Nagato didn't want to hear this, but even she wasn't stubborn enough to ignore Mutsu.

Nagato looked up at her sister. Although most of Nagato's anger had seeped away,, Mutsu was still cautious about saying anything. Nagato could still blow up at her. But she restrained herself. Nagato was struggling with what she'd feared would happen since Bismarck had refused to back down and leave like Nagato had told her to.

While she knew she wasn't the best at what she did, Nagato had never thought she was inherently bad leader. Yet now as Mutsu went on, mentioning the Vladivostok incident, as well as the fiasco that had become the attempted repair Mamiya's cafe and the events that followed, she began to see some major flaws in her style of leadership.

As much as she wanted to remain where she was, Mutsu had laid out a plan of her own that had addressed those issues, while still being very efficient. Most of her new idea included having more staff that would focus more on ensuring smooth operations and better relations, rather than focusing on fighting. With more people around to handle to workload, Mutsu would be able to get out more, helping her to stay more in touch with everyone.

"So I guess I'm being kicked out?" Nagato asked. Her voice wasn't bitter, or angry, and Mutsu was thankful for that. Rather, she sounded tired, almost relaxed in a way. Nagato looked her younger sister in the eye as she spoke, trying to show that she was willing to work with her.

Mutsu frowned. "Well, I could say that, and then you'd be hard-pressed to be accepted around here anymore. Or you could agree to step down following discussions with myself, Bismarck and Kaga. After which the two of us would have to make some sort of speech again, to show everyone else that we're both sincere in what we're proposing." Mutsu walked around the table and put her arm around Nagato

Nagato frowned. "What if I disagree?"

"Then we'll have to take measures,"Mutsu said calmly. "Mind you, then support of the district is not behind you; it's behind Bismarck and Kaga and the others who returned."

Nagato's face hardened, then suddenly softened. "Alright then, fine. You win, Mutsu. I'll step down, if that's what you want." Her voice was laced with seemingly false politeness, so much so that even Mutsu immediately picked up on it. She only glanced at Nagato with a slight frown, then walked behind Nagato''s desk and tore a sheet of paper out of her notebook. Nagato looked at Mutsu, confused.

"If you're stepping down, then sign here, so that we have proof of your transfer of command. By default, I will now be in charge," Mutsu said formally. Her hand still shaking slightly, Nagato took the pen from her sister and wrote down that she had officially transferred command of Yokosuka Naval District to her sister, and would play no further part in the running of the district unless asked to do so. Once Nagato had set aside the paper, she turned to her sister, who said nothing, only putting a hand on her shoulder briefly.

As Nagato stepped aside, she whispered something into Mutsu's ear. "If I couldn't do it, what makes you think you can?" Mutsu said nothing, only smiling back at her, confident she'd be able to work everything out the way Bismarck and Kaga had discussed.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Kaga was still pacing. She, Zuikaku, Graf and Bismarck had allowed Mutsu to go attempt to reason with Nagato on her own. However, since Nagato had closed the window shade soon after Mutsu had begun talking, none of them had any idea what had transpired since Mutsu had left.

"D-do you think Mutsu-san's alright?" Zuikaku's voice shook, despite her attempts to remain collected. "I mean, Nagato can get pretty crazy if she gets angry enough."

Kaga walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. "Relax, Zuikaku-san. Mutsu's stronger than she lets on. She'll be fine." She walked over to the door, as if to open it and walk over to check on Mutsu herself, but Bismarck held up a hand. She motioned for Kaga to wait, and said that it would be better if they allowed Mutsu to take all the time she needed to explain everything to Nagato as she needed.

"It's safer," Bis explained. Nodding, the four settled in to wait. After a period of what Zuikaku figured was twenty minutes or so, the door opened, and Mutsu returned. She looked tired, but relieved. The others hurried to ask her what had happened. Mutsu said nothing at first, only taking a seat and showing Kaga the paper signed by her sister.

Kaga scanned it quickly, while Bismarck and Zuikaku read over her shoulder. Zuikaku let out a small cheer, while Bismarck only breathed a sigh of relief. Kaga spent a few minutes discussing leaderships plans with Mutsu, while Bismarck began to make plans to inform the others, who had eventually been forced to turn in for the night once the discussions with Nagato had dragged on longer than they'd thought.

"Yeah I'd like the let everyone know as soon as possible too, but it's late," Bismarck murmured. "We'll inform everyone tomorrow morning after breakfast. But for now, I think it's best we all call it a night." She turned to Mutsu. "What are you planning to do tonight? It's not like you and your sister are exactly on the best of terms right now…"

Mutsu nodded. She thought for a moment, then stood again. "We'll spend the night here. I'll decide what to do with her tomorrow." She yawned. Stretching, she made her way to the door, and ushered the four out. Before Kaga left, Mutsu put a hand on her shoulder.

Kaga turned and raised an eyebrow. "What's up Mutsu? Is everything alright?" Mutsu nodded, and gave Kaga a quick hug.

"Thank you, Kaga-san. You don't know how much relief this brings to me. It's made me even more tired now that I've had a moment to think about everything, if that makes any sense." She smiled, before bading Kaga one more goodnight and closing her door. As she made her way to her shower, she reflected on the events of the past few hours. Smiling to herself, she prepared herself for the next day, knowing that it would probably be a long one.

As Zuikaku finally turned in for the night to get some much needed sleep, she too thought back on everything that had gone on over the past couple of weeks. While several of the changes had been radical and sometimes difficult to initially work with, she'd been able to adapt to them. Now more change was incoming. There was still a lot of sorting out of loose ends, such as dealing with the remainder of Nagato's staff, such as Tenryuu, Tatsuta, and Ooyodo, who'd made themselves scarce during the meetings of the night. If they were lucky, they'd be able to keep their jobs under Mutsu's leadership. If not, well, there were plenty of others to choose from.

Bismarck had begun to breathe once Mutsu had returned saying that she was not going to send Bismarck or her friends home early. She'd been just as happy to see the relief in Mutsu's voice as she explained that she had managed to convince Nagto to step down peacefully. Now, however, as one of the main players in recent events, she guessed she would once again be asked to say something tomorrow when Mutsu informed the district of the change of leadership. Bismarck smiled at that thought. The she shook her head. Where was that coming from? Usually she tried to avoid speaking in front of crowds, and even when she had to, she wasn't too happy about it. Now however, she found that she rather enjoyed making speeches. She figured that it was that she'd had to make several while she was here, and the circumstances at the time had eliminated any misgiving she'd originally had. Bismarck found herself smiling again. If only she had a way to let Warspite and the others she'd left behind at Scapa Flow know what she'd gotten herself into. But she, Eugen and Graf had all agreed to leave their phones home. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen anyone at Yokosuka ever using a phone or any other technology. Frowning, as she suspected Nagato had some part to play in that as well, she made a mental note to ask Kaga and the others about that tomorrow. Right now, however, sleep was calling her, and she was powerless to fight it. Sighing in tired relief, she allowed her eyes to close, and was out before she could think of anything else.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

As Mutsu walked up to meet her new friends, she would be lying if she if she didn't admit she was feeling the pressure. She'd assumed official command of the entire district only the previous night, and already she was expected to make a speech to everyone that would detail everything that would be changing now that she was in charge. Mutsu had prepared a speech earlier that morning, and was planning on running what she'd written by Bismarck and Kaga to get their opinions.

Mutsu reached for the door and wrung her hands. Before she had a chance to knock on the door, it opened for her. "Oh, Mutsu. You're here," Kaga turned and called back over her shoulder to Zuikaku to get ready to go. Mutsu could hear Bismarck saying something in German to either Graf or Eugen. Within a few moments, Kaga was joined by Zuikaku and the Germans. Nodding, they began to make their way down to the old dorms that had been repurposed as a meeting hall. Mutsu made small talk for a while, before going quiet again.

"She's feeling the pressure," Eugen murmured, glancing over at Bismarck. Bismarck nodded with a small smile, but assured Eugen that everything would be fine. Eugen returned the smile nervously. She knew that Mutsu was much more well liked that Nagato; she'd gotten that impression from not a few girls she'd talked to. However, since Mutsu had proposed so many radical changes, there was no guarantee that everything would go over smoothly.

Once the five of them had gathered to discuss how to go about presenting all the new changes that Mutsu planned to make, Kaga realised that most of the changes wouldn't catch too many people by surprise. Most of the changes took place at the executive level, which wouldn't interfere with too many daily schedules in a negative way. Having a larger group of people working with her directly should help improve relations between Mutsu and the rest of those in charge.

Mutsu glanced at the clock on the was getting close to the time she had agreed on for the meeting. As more and more people entered the room, the level of side chatter began to increase when everyone also noticed that Nagato was nowhere to be seen. A few calls from the crowd had gone unanswered, and Mutsu was keen to get everything moving and get this over with. She'd never been a huge fan of speeches, leaving them to her sister whenever possible.

She gripped the mic and turned with a nervous laugh to Bismarck, who patted her shoulder, and followed Kaga off the stage. Mutsu turned to the crowd, and began to speak. Graf and Zuikaku had slipped into the back, and were watching Mutsu as she explained how she planned to employ several more people to work in a public relations, in an attempt to improve opinion of her and avoid any more potential incidents similar to those that had occured over the past month.

Zuikaku shot a glance at Graf as Bismarck and Kaga joined them. "What are you thinking? Is she making herself clear and approachable enough?" Zuikaku seemed a bit worried, but Kaga waved off her concerns.

"She's doing fine. I think that if she can get a few good people working with her then I there shouldn't been too many more issues with who's in charge." As Kaga turned back to see what Mutsu was talking about now, she realised that she was finishing up and had moved onto her recap. Given that there was almost no outcries from the crowd, Mutsu seemed to be making a decent impression.

As Mutsu finished her speech, she was greeted with cheering and whistling. She scanned the crowd, found Zuikaku and Bismarck standing with Kaga off to the side. Mutsu locked eyes with the group, nervous about their reactions. Zuikaku grinned and gave her a thumbs up. Bismarck smiled reassuringly. Mutsu heaved a sigh and seemed to relax. She turned to address the crowd one last time. "If you have any questions, you can come see me tomorrow. But for right, please hold off on them, because I have some other things I must attend to." As Mutsu waved and left the stage, her three backers hurried to meet her backstage. They bumped into Akagi along the way. Kaga opened her mouth to ask her something, but Akagi waved her off.

"Ask me later," Akagi panted. "Where are you all going?"

"To find Mutsu," Kaga grabbed her partner's arm and pulled her along with them.

Backstage, Mutsu had taken a seat in a chair, and was taking a drink of water. She stood as the four entered. Without saying anything, she walked over and gave all of them a hug. As she stepped back, she smirked at their bewildered faces. "I'm saying thank you. For everything."

Bismarck smiled. "Of course. You'd do the same for any of us if we were in your situation." The others nodded in agreement. Mutsu nodded. She knew she would, even if she'd never brought up such a scenario to any of them.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Not long after Zuikaku fled, Tenryuu had quickly grown sick of the constant bickering or long periods of stony silence that lingered throughout Nagato's office on an almost daily basis. It had seemed that ever since the conclusion of the competition, Nagato's attitude had deteriorated with every passing day. Frustrated, Tenryuu had discussed her increasing frustration with Tatsuta for a long time one night. They had both decided to resign from their positions as secretaries, finding the job too stressful with little recognition or payoff.

The next morning, Tatsuta had gone over to Nagato's office early, before she had a chance to come completely unhinged. Nagato had shot Tatsuta a hard glare, but allowed her to explain her and Tenryuu's decision to resign. Mutsu, while standing with her sister, did not appear too worried to see the younger girl . Tatsuta had been tempted to abandon the plan when she saw Nagato's face, but had forced herself to meet Nagato's foreboding eyes.

Tenryuu had been quite worried to think about her sister standing alone in front of the two most powerful girls on the base, but restrained herself from walking over and intervening. She stood and walked outside, intending to stand outside Nagato's office and wait for her sister there, but as she made her way up the dirt path that led from her and her sister's personal rooms to Nagato's office, she couldn't shake the feeling that even the trees that Tenryuu usually found comforting with the darkness they provided were against her now. She shivered as a slight breeze passed thorough the leaves. The sun, which hadn't been out much at all that day, dipped behind a cloudbank again, casting shadows that also caused Tenryuu to shiver. She stopped walking. The trees seemed to close in on her. The shadows seemed to deepen, and Tenryuu shakily walked over to a fallen tree and sat down. The expanse of woods behind her gave her the chills, and upon glancing behind her, the darkness appeared much closer than it usually did, and much more foreboding.

 _What is this?_ Tenryuu thought. She wasn't afraid of the dark, just the opposite. She thought back to the last time she'd had night battle training with her sister and Sendai, another character whose obsession with night battles was well known. She'd felt more relaxed and in tune with her partners than she ever did when training during the day. Something about being out at sea at night invigorated her and seemed to give her more energy. Tenryuu loved it, yet now it seemed the very thing that fueled her and calmed her was now having the opposite effect.

Yet just as quickly as the feeling had set in, the breeze died away and the sun appeared for the moment. Tenryuu looked around, She realised she was still standing in the same spot as when she'd stopped a few minutes ago. Tenryuu shook her head, trying to focus. "That was weird. I must be tired or stressed. I'll have to remember to get some extra rest tonight," she said to herself. As she was deciding whether or not to continue to Nagato's office or turn back and try to get some sleep, a twig snapped from further down the path and Tenryuu froze. Silently, she stood, drew her sword and called out, "Who's there?"

"It's me, Ryuu," called a familiar voice. Panting slightly in relief, Tenryuu lowered her sword and hurried to meet her sister. Tatsuta looked a bit flustered, but otherwise she seemed fine. As she came around the corner, she saw Tenryuu with her sword drawn. "Uh, Tenryuu? Is everything ok? You don't usually draw your sword just for the fun of it."

Tenyuu noded. "Yeah, I'm fine. How are you though?" She looked her sister over, and seemed to relax slightly.

Tatsuta shrugged. "I'm alright. We should get back. We've got some work to do." She looked back towards towards home, and began walking.

"Agreed, Tat. Something happened while I was heading to meet you as well. I'll run it by you once I've gotten a drink and maybe some rest." Tatsuta raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She clapped her sister on the shoulder and walked with her back towards home. Tenryuu shivered slightly when Tatsuta touched her and she felt a slight breeze on her back again. Turning around, she looked back at the trees. The shadows had faded, but the gloom still lingered farther in. Tenryuu frowned. She would have to get some sleep for sure. As Tenryuu listened to her sister's explanation of her encounter with Nagato, she knew they would need to lie low for awhile, until Nagato could be dealt with. Tenryuu had explained her own experience to Tatsuta already, and the two had agreed to get some rest later. "So Nagato actually agreed to let us leave?" Tenryuu couldn't hide her surprise. Tatsuta nodded.

"Wow. Alright then," She grinned. "I guess that means we'll be able to catch a breath once in a while now." She stood, stretching. Her sister nodded. "Oh, one last thing we need to sort out-What are we going to do in the meantime? While we wait for Kaga and Zuikaku to hopefully deal with Nagato."

"If it were me, I'd try to get a job doing cleaning or the like." Seeing her sister's reaction, she went on. "It'll be something that keeps us busy and all, but also keeps us out of the spotlight." Tatsuta smiled. She stood and headed for her

room, motioning for her sister to follow. "Let's get some rest, eh?" Tenryuu yawned, and stood to follow her sister with no hesitation.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Tenryuu paced Akagi's dorm living room. Ever since Akagi had realised that Tenryuu and her sister Tatsuta had been working odd jobs late at night out of the public eye, the carrier had been pestering Tenryuu to come out again and attempt to meet with Mutsu. Akagi had also explained that Mutsu was trying to wrestle control of Yokosuka from Nagato. While she'd been hesitant at first, Tenryuu had managed to convince her sister to take Akagi's advice. Akagi had come to collect the two while Mutsu was making her speech to the rest of the district. She'd explained that she would bring Tenryuu and Tatsuta back to the dorm used by the carriers, and when Mutsu was done with her speech, Akagi would collect Mutsu and the others and bring them all back to discuss Tenryuu and Tatsuta's futures now that Nagato was no longer in charge. Nervously, they'd followed her to her dorm, and been told to sit tight while Akagi went to find her friends.

Tenryuu shot a worried glance at her sister. "Hey Tat?" She used her nickname for her younger sister, even though Tatsuta didn't like it all that much. Tatsuta glanced up from the couch. "Are you scared at all?" Tenryuu forced a smile at her sister. Tatsuta met her eyes, but couldn't return the smile. She nodded wordlessly.

"Yeah I'm scared. Who wouldn't be? I mean, we're about to see the one person who's in a position to punish us, and we didn't really leave her on a positive note," Tatsuta's voice cracked, and Tenryuu stopped pacing and walked over to her sister. She put an arm around Tatsuta, who only leaned over on her sister's shoulder and tried to sleep to pass the time..

As she waited for Akagi to return with Mutsu and the others,Tenryuu wasn't expecting a better reaction from her former boss's sister. While both her and Tatsuta had found Mutsu easier to work for than Nagato, Tenryuu had begun to lose focus after Zuikaku had fled the district. Nagato had directed much of her frustration with Zuikaku's leaving towards Mutsu, who'd in turn made Tenryuu and Tatsuta's lives difficult. Tenryuu couldn't blame her for being upset, but seeing Mutsu again brought other memories to the surface as well. She glanced sideways at Tatsuta. Her sister was just as unsettled, tossing and unable to find a position that was comfortable. Tenryuu allowed her mind to drift, despite knowing she would be better off not doing so.

Still standing backstage after Mutsu's speech, The five stood in comfortable silence for a moment, before Akagi spoke up.

"Hey, uh, guys?" There was an air of nervousness in her voice that none of the others had heard before, and it made them all pay attention in a hurry. Zuikaku looked at Akagi with concern."We might want to head back to our dorms. There's someone there who i think you would like to have a word with. Shokaku's waiting there as well." Everyone recognised the sense of urgency in Akagi's words and tone, and immediately left to make the quick walk over to see what Akagi had deemed so important. As Mutsu pushed open the door, she recoiled in shock. Turning to Akagi, she looked at her with a mixture of anger and worry.

"What-where-how did you find these two?" Akagi couldn't read Mutsu's voice, but she could tell Mutsu wasn't prepared to see her former colleagues again.

"They can explain themselves," Akagi said simply. She motioned to Tenryuu, who wrung her hands as she locked eyes with Mutsu.

"Well?" Mutsu's voice didn't come across as angry, only confused and slightly worried.

Tenryuu shivered slightly, then turned to her former boss and began to speak, trying to keep her voice level. As Tenryuu spoke, recounting everything that her and her sister had been up to, Tatsuta realised that she had left out the piece concerning Tenryuu's incident in the woods soon after they had resigned. Tatsuta frowned, but chose not to say anything.

Noticing Tatsuta's discomfort, Akagi leaned over to her and asked her to follow her outside for a walk. Tatsuta nodded, and got up from the couch she'd sunk into. She stretched and followed Akagi towards the door. Akagi smiled and put an arm around Tatsuta and guided her out. Noting the raised eyebrows in her direction, Akagi only smiled, and waved her hand reassuringly. Shokaku smiled briefly and nodded.

Tatsuta looked at Akagi with a mixture of confusion and thankfulness. "What's going on Akagi?" She seemed fine, but Akagi could tell something was bugging her.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

"Walk with me," Akagi said good naturedly. Nodding, Tatsuta followed the carrier down the path and along the beach. They walked in silence for a while, before Akagi spoke again. "You care deeply about Tenryuu don't you?"

Tatsuta nodded. "We've always been very close to each other. Even more so once we were more or less on our own after leaving Nagato." 

Akagi nodded. "I can understand. Kaga and I are the way same way, although to be honest, I spend more time with Shokaku-san that Kaga now. Kaga seemed to enjoy talking to Zuikaku more now. Which is a nice change." Akagi paused, and looked over at the younger girl standing next to her. She seemed a bit more drawn in than normal, and Akagi had a sense that she was hiding something. Looking around, Akagi spotted a bench positioned at the edge of the woods bordering the sand. Motioning for Tatsuta to follow her, Akagi walked over and sat down. Tatsuta took a seat next to her.

Tatsuta locked eyes with Akagi, and she knew Akagi knew she wasn't telling Mutsu and the others everything. Tatsuta sighed and hung her head. "You know, right?" she asked, looking up at Akagi. Agaki nodded. Tatsuta shivered, as the memories came back to her. Akagi put a hand on her shoulder. "If you'd rather not-"

"No, I should at least tell someone else. Tenryuu-san won't and neither of us know what exactly it was that caused her to feel so strange," Tatsuta murmured. Taking a deep breath, she began to recount what Tenryuu had said she went through while walking to meet her sister.

"Tenyuu said she'd been a bit worried when I took longer than expected explaining why we were resigning. Apparently she decided to head down to Nagato's office herself, i guess to see what was going on and make sure I was ok. So she left to check on things and headed down the woods path, which her and I sometimes use since it's quicker and more secluded. Apparently when she had gotten about halfway there, and the path curves off to the left, she stopped to rest for a moment." Tatsuta paused to take a breath, then went on. "Then she stood and looked out into the woods, and felt afraid of them, as if they were oppressing her."

At this Akagi's eyes widened. " _Tenryuu?_ Afraid of the dark?" Tatsuta nodded, just as baffled. Akagi frowned. "Doesn't she, like, thrive at night and sleep at night?" Tatsuta nodded again.

"She is pretty nocturnal at times, which makes this even more weird." Tatsuta sighed. "Any ideas? I figured she was just tired, but I'm not sure…" Akagi smiled and put a hand on the younger girl's shoulder.

"I'd say it was probably fatigue. You both were stressed out a bit due to Nagato's temper." She smiled, standing. "Have either of you felt that since?" Tatsuta shook her head. Akagi nodded. She turned to head back. "Then I wouldn't worry too much. Just make sure you both get proper sleep from now on. We don't need to freak anyone out, eh?" Akagi winked. She began to walk back down the beach, and Tatsuta followed her. The two walked in silence for a while, before Tatsuta spoke up.

"Hey, Akagi?" The brunette turned to her with a small smile. "Are you trying to play the part of my mother? Cause you're doing a really good job of it," Tatsuta playfully swatted Akagi's arm as the carrier's face flushed, before she laughed.

"I guess you could say I am. It's in my nature I suppose." Akagi slung an arm around Tatsuta. "Just let me know if anything else happens with you or Tenryuu. I will deal with it, but I wouldn't worry too much." Tatsuta nodded, and they two made their way back to the dorm where, last they knew, Mutsu was still talking with Tenryuu. Upon returning, the two were greeted by a more pleasant scene than the one they had left.

Mutsu had relaxed, and was chatting with Tenryuu and Kaga while Shokaku and her sister prepared a few sandwiches. Mutsu turned as Akagi and Tatsuta entered. Tenryuu stood and hurried over to her sister, visibly worried.

She pulled Tatsuta aside. "Did Akagi ask about what happened to me?" Tatsuta nodded. Tenryuu's eyes widened. She looked panicked, but Tatsuta put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. Akagi's not gonna tell anyone else unless we both agree that it's ok to share." Tenryuu sighed in relief. Tatsuta smiled. She pulled her sister into a brief hug, before turning to Shokaku an asking if she could make one more sandwich.

Shokaku nodded. "I already made one for Akagi-san. You want one too?"

Yeah please," Tatsuta smiled at her sister."See? Everything should be fine now sis." Tenryuu nodded with a smile. She walked over and took a seat on the couch. Her sister joined her, and Shokaku distributed sandwiches to everyone. As the small group settled down to a small lunch, Mutsu held up a hand.

"Uh there's one last thing that I'd like to discuss with you guys before we call it a day," She choked slightly, as she was still trying to swallow a bite while talking. Accepting the glass of root beer Kaga handed her, Mutsu turned to the others, and spoke. "Before I explain, someone might want to go fetch Hiryuu and Souryuu and the Germans. This is important."

Nodding, Zuikaku stood. "I'll go. I think Hiryuu said they were gonna go for a stroll then hit Mamiya's for lunch. Be right back." Mutsu nodded with approval. Zuikaku dashed off. Turning back to her lunch, Mutsu noticed her plate was gone. Looking around in confusion, she realised Akagi was still trying to finished chewing discreetly. Mutsu shot her a glare. Blushing, Akagi confessed to having stolen Mutsu's sandwich while her back was turned. Mutsu facepalmed, but got up to make another.

After a few minutes, Zuikaku returned with Hiryuu and companions in tow. "What'd you want to discuss, Mutsu?" Hiryuu asked. Mutsu motioned for them to have a seat. Hiryuu and Souryuu pushed the other sofa over and sat down. "So what is it?"


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Mutsu wiped her hands, before turning to everyone. "Well, in short, I'd like to bring technology back to this district." Noting the confused stares, she explained. "Personal devices, like phones, and computers and such."

Hiryuu blinked. She looked around at the others, then to Mutsu. "Uh, Mutsu? Are you sure about that?" She spoke quietly, as if it were a classified subject.

Mutsu nodded. "I am. If you remember, Nagato's main reason for banning technology was because she claimed it distracted everyone. I happen to disagree with her. It's distracting if used at the wrong times and locations. Otherwise, tech can be a good way to relax and let off steam. The main issue to how to go about explain that we'll allow it again without causing a near riot…" Mutsu's voice trailed off. "That's assuming you actually want to allow technology here again," She added, looking around the group.

"Are you asking for our actual opinions, or just saying that?" Kaga asked.

Mutsu shook her head. "No, no. I could use some other opinions. The more the better. If you remember, Nagato used to run this place without much outside input, and we saw how well that worked out." She looked around at the assembled girls with her and saw them all nod. "So what are your thoughts then?"

No one spoke for a moment, everyone waiting for someone else to speak first, before Akagi spoke first. "I think we should allow those who want to have sort some of tech to be allowed to have them, so long as they agree to focus when they need to." She looked from Mutsu to Shokaku and the others. No one seemed to argue.

Zuikaku nodded. "Sounds good. We'll just have to make sure that no one goes crazy over this." Seeing the confused looks she was getting, she explained. "Since it's been so long since anyone's had such freedom, we'll need to make sure no one loses control when we make this public." Mutsu nodded thoughtfully. She stood, discarded her plate in the trash, then turned back to Akagi. "So you think this is a good idea then?"

Akagi shot a glance at Shokaku, Kaga, and the others. They all nodded. Mutsu turned to Bismarck and her companions. More nodding. "We don't have any issues with technology at Scapa. And everyone lives in similar conditions to these, so I don't see any issues that could crop up here. Go for it," Bismarck smiled confidently.

Satisfied, Mutsu turned next to Tenryuu and Tatsuta. "You two come with me." The two cruisers stared at her.

"You want us to come with you again?" Tenryuu asked. She look surprised.

Mutsu nodded. "I do. While yes, you may have made some mistakes in the past, I do need someone with some experience working in a leadership environment." She beckoned for Tenryuu and her sister to follow her. Turning back to the others, she added, "One last thing. In regards to paying for anything. You know you've been getting paid a certain amount every 4 months. In the past, all of it has been used to pay for housing, food, electricity, etc. Now, however, the option will be available to use some of that to pay for your personal uses. I'll write something up with the help of these two and explain everything to the district later. Thank you guys. I needed some extra brain power here." Mutsu laughed, before she left, followed by Tenryuu and her sister.

Akagi sighed. Turning to Shokaku, she cracked her knuckles, then spoke. "Well, I guess that's all for now. I'm gonna go think about what it is I want."

"That sounds good. I'll stay here with you, then." Shokaku added. She turned to Zuikaku, who waved a hand dismissively. Smiling, Shokaku downed her soda and headed over to the desk in the corner.

"Well, this was nice. We'll see you guys for dinner later, then?" Shokaku asked, taking seat, and pulling out a magazine.

"It's probably safe to say that. Say 1800, in front of Mamiya's?" Zuikaku answered. She turned, and followed Kaga down the steps and back to her own dorms, looking forward to spending some time relaxing, before everything got hectic again..

As Mutsu guided Tenryuu and her sister out away from the meeting several hours later, she had a feeling that all three of them would need a hearing aid after the cheering that had followed Mutsu's announcement. Mutsu smiled at Tenryuu, who nodded, relief evident in her eyes.

"I think it worked, Mutsu." Tenryuu smirked. "You worried about all this for nothing, eh?" She looked over at Tatsuta, who also laughed. As the three made their way back to the offices to call it a night, a voice called out from behind them.

"Awfully confident, aren't you?" Nagato laughed. "I wouldn't be. I banned that junk for a reason. It's a waste of time and money. Plus, what makes you think Mutsu's gonna be able to keep everyone in check?"

Tenryuu's eyes flashed. She drew her sword. Nagato didn't bat an eye. "Alone, she can't. You're right." Nagato smirked.

Tenryuu grinned. She spun her sword around her hand several times. Before Nagato could react, Tenryuu had gotten around behind her and cut off all her long hair. As she walked over to Nagato again, Tenryuu spoke in a much quieter voice than she usually did. "But she'd not alone. I've seen you at night, listening in on different things. It's not pleasant. If you're trying to intervene, I'll advise you to quit it now." She walked back and stood with Mutsu and her sister. As the three continued their walk home, Tenryuu looked over her shoulder. "Or maybe next time I won't be so careful!" She spun her sword around once more before sheathing it, flashing Nagato a peace sign, and vanishing after the others.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Kaga frowned. She knew that Zuikaku wasn't usually a very quiet person, so when the four met and headed down to Mamiya's for breakfast and hardly looked her way, Kaga knew something was up. Zuikaku seemed a bit distant all the way to the cafe. Kaga shot a glance toward Akagi and Shokaku, who had obviously noticed. As the group settled down and waited for Mamiya to serve them, Kaga leaned over to Shokaku.

"Hey, is something bothering Zuikaku?" Kaga glanced over at her friend, how was slumped against the wall, absentmindedly flipping through a catalogue she'd brought with her.

Shokaku sighed. "Probably. Now that we're gonna be able to have technology again, she's probably thinking of the others."

Kaga frowned. Before she could say anything, Mamiya appeared, waiting for their orders. As the others told Mamiya what they wanted, Kaga began to think. If Zuikaku was missing who she suspected, then she was beginning to get an idea. As Mamiya left to bring them their food, she noticed Zuikaku's lack of activity. She locked eyes with Kaga, who motioned for her to lean in.

"Zuikaku's missing her friends from Vladivostok. Since we're getting tech again, she's thinking about it more." Mamiya nodded. "I'm trying to think of something we can do for her."

Mamiya thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up. "Are you free later today?"

Kaga nodded, confused. "Yeah why?"

Mamiya grinned. "I have an idea. Meet me back here at 1100. Make sure Zuikaku isn't with you." Kaga saw the look in Mamiya's eyes. She couldn't help but smile as Maiya patted her on the shoulder and left.

Two hours later, Kaga made her way back towards Mamiya's. She'd left while Zuikaku was distracted with Shokaku and Bismarck, who were trying to convince her that she would be better off buying a laptop than a desktop. Zuikaku looked completely confused, and Kaga knew she better leave now, before Zuikaku tried to get answers out of her. She hurried back to the cafe, trying to figure out what it was that Mamiya had wanted to discuss that Zuikaku shouldn't hear.

Mamiya was waiting for her. "You made it. Good." She smiled, guiding Kaga inside to a table in the corner. As the pair took their seats, Mamiya checked that no one else was within earshot before speaking again. "So you know how Zuikaku misses her other friends." Kaga nodded. Even though Zuikaku wasn't one to volunteer that information, Kaga knew her "sister" well enough that she could tell Zuikaku did miss them.

"Well, you also know that Mutsu's planned one more party now that everything has more or less calmed down…" Mamiya winked at Kaga, who looked dumbfounded for a moment, before her eyes widened.

"You really think Mutsu would allow them to come?" Kaga sounded conflicted, but hopeful.

Mamiya nodded."I think so. I was hoping you'd go with me to ask her, since she'd be more inclined to listen to you than me." She laughed briefly, before getting serious again. "So what? You wanna go with me and ask Mutsu if it's at all possible?"

Kaga thought for a moment. On one hand, asking to invite girls from another district usually required a bit of paperwork and had to be set in motion several weeks in advance. Mutsu had planned everything for that Saturday night, only five days away. If something was going to be done, it would have to be quick. On the other hand, it would be a plesant surprise for Zuikaku, who hadn't seen or heard from any of them in months. Kaga smiled slightly as she imagined the look on Zuikaku's face if they made it to the party. What did she really have to lose?

"Yeah sure," she said, standing. "I'll go with you. Maybe we'll get something worked out." Kaga smiled. She walked around the table, offering a hand to Mamiya, helping her stand. The two walked quickly towards the door. With Mamaiya flipping to door sign to "Closed. Be back in 30 minutes", and Kaga checking that the coast was clear, the two hurried to make the short walk to Mutsu's office.

As the two made their way down the path to the door, they ran into Tenryuu and her sister, probably on their way to lunch break. "Hey Tenryuu?" Kaga called.

Tenryuu turned in surprise. "Yeah? What is it, Kaga-san?" Her sister had also stopped and was waiting to see what Kaga and Mamiya wanted.

"Is Mutsu around? We need to ask her some questions concerning accommodations for this Saturday." Mamiya spoke politely, but there was also a sense of urgency in her voice. Kaga shivered slightly. While it was a warm day, the trees lining the walkway on either side provided excellent shade and windbreak.

"Yeah she is, but we're directly in charge of the night, so any questions should go though me." Tenryuu sounded a bit proud that she was in charge, but also hurried. She was probably hungry.

"I'm sure, but this definitely involved Mutsu as well. We have something we need to ask her, and t would be a good idea if you two were there as well." Kaga spoke quietly, but her voice carried so well that even Tenryuu didn't ask any more questions. She turned and headed back to the office, Tatsuta tailing her. Behind the two cruisers, Kaga locked eyes with Mamiya. So far, so good.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Mutsu paced her office, thinking. One one hand, it would be a very nice surprise for Zuikaku if her old friends from Vladivostok were able to drop in for the party. However, contacting Vladivostok and actually arranging everything was another story. Sighing, Mutsu turned back to the four assembled in front of her.

"I'd love to able to invite Soyuz and Kirov down for the night and next day, but it's a bit too late notice I'm afraid. Getting Gangut to agree to the transfer of a battleship and a cruiser at this late a notice is asking quite a bit of her." Mutsu looked at Kaga and Mamiya sympathetically, wishing she could do something for the two, as their request was a very nice one, but she really couldn't. Then Tenryuu spoke up.

"Why not let Kaga ask Gangut herself? She had more contact with Gangut that anyone else here. If Gangut would do it for anyone, it'd be either Zuikaku or Kaga. And we obviously can't ask the turkey" She smirked. Everyone laughed at the use of Zuikaku's less-well known nickname.

Still chuckling slightly, Mutsu agreed to allow Kaga to contact Gangut herself. As Kaga followed Tenryuu into the comms room, Mutsu pulled Mamiya aside. "Just so you know-I think what you're trying is a very nice idea. If it weren't so late notice, I'd be able to make arrangements formally. I truly hope that Kaga can convince Gangut."

Mamiya nodded with a smile. "Don't worry about it. I understand. I hope this works too." She sighed, then turned to follow Zuikaku into the comms.

An hour later, Mamiya followed Kaga back towards the cafe. Kaga seemed pleased with herself, and rightly so. Apparently Gangut had planned for Soyuz and Kiroz to head west, towards the Russian Navy's base on the Black Sea. However, she'd agreed to move the date for their departure back one week to enable Soyuz to catch up with Zuikaku for a few days. Mamiya sighed in relief.

"Well that's one piece of the puzzle in place. Now we just have to figure out how to set this whole thing giving too much away to Zuikaku." Kaga thought for a moment, then turned to Mamiya. "Should we ask the others as well? Zuikaku included?"

Mamiya nodded. "It can't hurt. We aren't trying to hide the party from Zuikaku, only who's gonna be coming, right?" She asked.

Kaga nodded. Instead of turning right and heading back towards the cafe, she headed back towards the dorms. Mamiya shot her a questioning look. "We're gonna tell the others right?"

"Ah yes. I'm a bit tired. Yeah let's do that now so we can get everything moving sooner rather than later." She shook her head in order to focus, and followed Kaga back home.

"Hey Bismarck?" Shokaku called. She was sitting with Akagi, resting her head on the older girl's shoulder. Shokaku sounded a bit tired, and she was on the verge of falling asleep. Not that anyone could blame her. They were all tired. It seemed the excitement of the past week was wearing off, and exhaustion was taking over. "Have you seen Kaga at all since lunchtime?"

"Nah. Last I knew she was still talking with Mamiya as we were leaving." Bismarck shrugged and went back to her book. "I wouldn't worry too much. Kaga can look after herself."

Shokaku nodded wearily. Akagi looked at her exhausted state and was about to let her just lay down her her own bed when someone knocked on the door. Shokaku jumped, and Akagi smiled. "That'll be them."

"I got it," Eugen said quickly. She hurried to open the door, and was greeted by not only Kaga, but also Mamiya, Hiryuu, and Souryuu. "Oh. Well this is a surprise. Come on in you guys." Bismarck showed them in and offered a seat on the spare bed. As everyone made themselves at home, Zuikaku arrived with a tray of drinks. Akagi seemed to have woken Shokaku up enough for her to at least sit in on the conversation.

"So what are you guys planning?" Akagi leaned in eagerly, noticing Kaga's smirking. She knew from experience that when Kaga had a smirk on her face that she had something brewing in her mind.

Kaga glanced at Mamiya, who motioned for her to speak first. Nodding, Kaga turned back to the others.

"Well, in short, we're planning to have a party of sorts to celebrate the end of all this chaos. Now that Zuikaku and Mamiya are safely back, Nagato's been replaced, and life's returning to normal. I'm still running over mre ideas in my head about what "theme" we should go with."

Mamiya shot a glance at Kaga, who turned slightly red, but sighed and nodded. "Well there was one idea we had. I wasn't a fan of it, but I'll run it by you." She seemed to brace herself, then spoke. "What about a costume party?"

No one spoke for a moment, and Kaga facepalmed.

"Why not?" Zuikaku asked. "It's not like we haven't done more embarrassing things before, right?" Most of the others nodded, even Bismarck and Eugen. Satisfied, Zuikaku turned back to Kaga. "Well that settles it. We'll go with the costume party then, right?" The others nodded, and Kaga turned to Mamiya. She nodded, and Mamiya smiled.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43 As morning broke, Mutsu was awakened by the sunlight streaming through the window. She groaned and forced herself up, shaking off a deep sleep an the accompanying and looking around, she noticed Nagato was still asleep. Quickly finding a change of clothes, she swapped her nightgown for something loser that would be more comfortable while she went for a run. Mutsu usually didn't have time for such activities, but knowing fresh air and a bit of exercise would help her thing better, she'd followed Fubuki's example and taken to going for a run every morning that she could. Yawning, she pulled a light sweatshirt on and quietly slipped out the door to meet Fubuki. When the small destroyer learned that Mutsu also went for jogs in the morning, she'd offered to accompany Mutsu, for the sake of company and safety.

"Hey Mutsu-san!" Fubuki called, waving enthusiastically. Although Mutsu wasn't used to Fubuki's energy and love of life, but she returned the wave with a small smile. Fubuki handed her an extra water bottle, which Mutsu accepted even though she had her own.

"Ready then?" Fubuki seemed too happy, despite the impending weather. Glancing towards the sea, Mutsu noticed the sky was darkening slightly., but she didn't think much of it. Storms weren't that uncommon around the district, so she thought no more about it.

"Ready as I'm gonna be. Let's run," Mutsu looked at Fubuki, who nodded with a laugh, and the two set off. Mutsu ran without much effort, but Fubuki had more more stamina, being smaller, and in much better shape. Mutsu wouldn't readily admit it, but all her time sitting in the office had taken its toll on her fitness level. As the pair jogged along the waterfront, Fubuki attempted to make conversation, but Mutsu politely declined, saying that she would prefer silence to allow her to focus and think some things over. Fubuki nodded, and ran slightly ahead, setting her own pace, but remaining close enough to Mutsu to assist her need be.

Thoughts swelled through Mutsu's mind once she left to her own devices. She knew she'd been a bit harsh towards her sister when replacing her, maybe a bit too harsh. It had seemed like the best course of action at the time, but the more she thought about it, them more she began to wonder if she' acted a bit rash. Even though Mutsu hated to admit it, Nagato _was_ better at presenting herself to large groups of people than she was. However, it was one thing to present yourself well. It was another entirely to be able to lead and interact well. Mutsu may have been many things, but she wasn't blind. Nagato may present a better initial image, but for those that had to work with her, working with her could be more of a chore that it was work. That capability could just as easily gain her the favor of a group as it could be her undoing.

As she thought more about her sister, Mutsu realised that while her sister had done her best to be a proper commander, she simply was not suited to some important aspects of command, such as interacting well with those under her, and staying in touch with the times and what everyone wanted to see, or didn't want. Even though Nagato had tried to convince her that she _was_ good at these tasks, the events of the past few months came to Mutsu's mind.

Nagato was smart enough to see that those "incidents" had been, to an extent, her fault, despite her initial protests. Mutsu would never allow those things to happen, and she was doing her level best to keep things running smoothly, even though she bore a difficult burden. Mutsu that she couldn't bear the same burden of leading the entire district herself, though. As she thought more about what had changed since Nagato had left, she realised that it wasn't as much a matter of her personality yet, but that she was better at working with _multiple_ other girls to help take some of the load off her. Tenryuu. Tatsuta. Bismarck. Kaga. Akagi. Zuikaku. Mutsu smiled as the thought about everything they had done for her, despite the chaos surrounding much of the past few months.

As she began to attempt to return to the present, she realised Fubuki was now running beside her, looking concerned. As Mutsu looked Fubuki over, she noticed that she had a slightly panicked look on her face. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she noticed Fubuki was calling her name and pointing to the west. As Mutsu regained her focus, she looked to the west, and her eyes widened. What had once been a clear evening sky had transformed. Now the sky seemed divided, with some small portions of the horizon still light, but the entire sky in front of her was now a swirling, angry mass of storm clouds that make Mutsu shiver. The mass rediated a cold, chilling air, and she could see the angry flashes of lightning within, like so many sparks that often came from Akashi's warehouse. With a start, she realised how close the storm front was to the district. Hurrying over to Fubuki, she yelled for Fubuki to head back to the office with her to fill Tenryuu in on what was going on and help her secure the district as best they could.

Fubuki dashed off. As she looked behind her, Mutsu could see the storm closing in, and knew that any moment now, she'd be caught in the middle of it. Cursing herself for deciding to run so far form the district's larger buildings, she continued to dash for the relative safety of what she took to be Akashi's shop. Mutsu shivered as the sky turned black, and the skies opened. The temperature dropped almost five degrees instantaneously. She gasped as all at once, the rain came down sideways, the gusting wind causing her to stumble. As the staggered towards what she hoped was Akashi's, visibility dropped to where she couldn't make out more than a dull fuzzy shape on the horizon. The constant roars of thunder accompanied by constant flashes of lightning rendered nearly all her senses useless. Suddenly a series of sharp pin pricks cut her across the cheek, and she forced her hand up to her face. It came away red, but before she could process anything more, a tingling sensation came over her, and the air seemed to heat up. Mutsu could hear Fubuki voice, seemingly a mile away, yelling for her. A blinding light cut through the driving rain, blinding her. A deafening roar wrapped Mutsu in its embrace, and she blacked out.


	44. Chapter 44

Nagato's mind raced. She'd be awakened by a clap of thunder up roughly thirty minutes after Mutsu left. As the storm closed in, Nagato pulled on a jacket and ran towards Tenryuu's offices. Sprinting down the woodland path that joined the two sets of buildings, covered in fallen tree limbs, she almost ran into Tenryuu and her sister. They obviously had the same idea, to find someone in charge, and were hurrying to find Nagato, since Mutsu wasn't around. Tenryuu had her sword drawn, and had to yell to be heard over the wind and thunder.

"The office! Now!" Nagato yelled, before she turned to head back. Tenryuu and her sister nodded, and followed her. Upon reaching Mutsu's office, they were greeting by a soaking wet Fubuki, who had an almost wild look in her eyes.

"Nagato!" Fubuki yelled, running to meet her. "It's Mutsu. She's-she's- Just come with me!"

Eyes wide, Nagato turned to Tenryuu and Tatsuta, who nodded, before all three girls rushed after Fubuki. As Fubuki led them towards Akashi's workshop, the sinking feeling on Nagato's stomach was replaced by one of concern and almost despair. Fubuki had said something about Mutsu and she was headed for Akashi's. That, coupled with her knowing that Mutsu had gone for a run just that morning was beginning to make Nagato sick to her stomach. The driving rain and constant thunder made finding their way nearly impossible, and only their combined knowledge of the district and Fubuki's guidance prevented the group from becoming lost on their own base. As Fubuki led the group back towards Akashi's warehouse, Akashi hurried out of her back office, looking flustered and worried, expressions one usually didn't associate with Akashi. Nagato recognised her sister laying on the couch, and let out a cry of despair. Running over to Mutsu, Nagato knelt beside her and laid a hand on her chest. She felt a heartbeat and let out a sign of relief. She looked her sister over, and noticed a few small burns on the back of her clothes, as well as some singed hair. Nagato looked up at Fubuki, and her eyes asked the question for her.

Fubuki, to her credit, knew to keep it brief. "We were out for a run, and Nagato-san noticed a storm approaching. I figured she planned to inform you when we got back, but it moved so fast. Five minutes later, the storm was on top of us, so we started running back. I ran on ahead so we could let you know as soon as possible. The lightning got closer, and I saw a bright flash. When got back to where Mutsu had been, I found her lying facedown on the ground, so I brought her straight to Akashi. Thankfully she was here," Fubuki wrung her hands as she finished, and Nagato let out a sob. Fubuki looked on as Akashi went about her business.

"Mutsu-san," Nagato whispered. Her voice was weak, and Tenryuu could see the tears streaming down her face. Nagato gripped Mutsu's hand, and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Tenryuu looked at her sister, and they both nodded.

"Nagato. We'll go back to the office and keep an eye on things for. You take some time here. You need it," Tenryuu's voice was surprisingly soft, and she walked over and put a hand on Nagato's shoulder. Nagato sniffed, then looked up at Tenryuu.

"It's just, well, we didn't part on the best of terms, and then something like this happens. I just-" Nagato's voice broke. Tenryuu patted her shoulder, then turned to leave. Akashi looked ready to say something herself, then thought better of it. She too, patted Nagato on the shoulder before following Tenryuu out the door. The three looked at each other, then agreed to make the dash once again through the storm one more time to reach the safety of Mutsu's office.

"We'll be in Mutsu's office if you need anything," Akashi called over her shoulder.

Nagato, however, only briefly raised a hand. She resolved to stay by her sister's side until something changed for her, for better or worse. Nagato looked around, then pulled up another chair and sat across her sister. If anything, the extra time would allow her to think about her actions, and how they related to Mutsu. Nagato knew that she hadn't been the best leader, but until that night, when Mutsu, Bismarck, Kaga and the others had laid her bare. She'd surprised herself by how well she'd handled herself, but now things had taken enough of a change to where she could no longer bury what needed to be said, both to her sister and to the entire district.

Not wanting to make the run back to the offices in the storm, which thankfully, was starting to abate slightly, Nagato headed back to Akashi's work spaces separate from the warehouse proper, and pulled a relatively clean bench back to the office, across from where Mutsu was resting. She borrowed one of the extra blankets Akashi had hanging on the wall, shuddering slightly at the stains that covered the blanket, and laid down across from her sister, keeping and eye on her as much as she could. The lights flickered a few times, and shadows danced off the walls. Nagato was surprised as to how small and Spartan Akashi's office was- a small desk in one corner, with a bed and one bookshelf beside it. A lamp and microwave sat on top. Next to the bookcase was a small refrigerator, and Nagato guessed Akashi spent a lot of time here alone working, and didn't take the time for venture over to Mamiya's for proper food all that often. Against the far wall, a bed just big enough for Mutsu took up the whole wall. Nothing else was in the office, but for some reason it felt complete.

Yawning, Nagato lay back and tried to sleep, her thoughts and how she would deal with Mutsu when she awoke keeping her her up. She took her sister's hand, taking in the fact that she was still here, an allowed herself to fall into a restless sleep.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

By that early the next morning, the storm had blown thorough. Tenryuu and Tatsuta worked with Akashi to oversee the numerous repairs. Despite the ferocity of the storm, most of the damage was restrained to broken windows and shingles blown off roofs. Akashi was able to fix most of the windows after checking on Mutsu once more, while Tenryuu and her sister had coordinated with the cruisers to replace missing shingles. Wires and poles were down all over the base, along with tree branches, but no one had been seriously hurt, other than Mutsu herself.

Nagato had awoken after a few hours of fitful sleep and heard people yelling outside. She staggered out, blinking in the sunlight. It never ceased to amaze her as to how clear the sky was after a major storm. A deep blue sky and perfect sun, without a cloud in sight stretched as far as she could see. _The carriers must be pleased. Good day to practice launching planes._ Nagato thought for a moment about staying to keep watch over Mutsu, but she was getting a headache, and figured she would benefit from the fresh air.

Takao noticed Nagato was outside and hurried over to see how she was doing. "Nagato. Glad you're alright. Get any sleep?" The young cruiser had concern written all over her face.

Nagato shrugged. "As well as expected."

Takao nodded in sympathy, before heading over to meet with Atago about removing the tree branches that were covering the lawn in front of Akashi's workshop. As Nagato looked around and realized the extent of the damage, she began to wonder if the planned party at the end of the week could even happen. It was Wednesday afternoon. The dance was planned for Friday evening, and certain arrangements had already been made that couldn't be changed. As the potential ramifications of missing the party sunk in, Nagato's face blanched, and she hurried to find Tenryuu.

The light cruiser and her sister were both examining the trees that had nearly come down on top of their own offices. Tatsuta sat on one of the fallen trees holding her arm. Tenryuu knelt next to her, concerned. As Nagato ran to check on the pair, she realised that Tenryuu's face was slightly red, like she'd been crying. Tenryuu turned to meet her, and forced a smile. Jogging over to see what Nagato needed, Tenyuu saw Nagato's concerned face, and paused.

"Hey you good?" Tenryuu asked, looking Nagato over.

"Better now that I got some sleep and fresh air," Nagato answered as she hurried past Tenryuu and took a look at Tatsuta. She arm was twisted at a strange angle, and Tatsuta drew back when Nagato reached for her arm. "This is broken," Nagato realised. Tenryuu hurried to her side immediately.

"I thought so. Where's Akashi? I need to find her!" Tenryuu's voice cracked.

Natago nodded. "This will hurt," she warned, scooping Tatsuta up in her arms. Tenryuu nodded at her sister reassuringly. Tatsuta wrapped her good arm around Nagato's neck, and braced herself Nagato eased her up, and Tatsuta grimaced, whimpering. Nagato headed back to find Akashi, Tenryuu following close behind. _She could be anywhere now,_ Nagato thought. As they headed back, Tenryuu explained what had happened.

"We'd made it back to the office, late, after making sure you were fine. We'd gone into the bedroom and tried to get some sleep. Storm wouldn't allow that; trees kept coming down and disturbing any attempts at rest. I eventually got up and went out made a sandwich, to pass the time, and 'cause I was hungry." She paused, and rested her voice for a moment. "I knew Tatsuta would try to sleep as long as she could, so I grabbed a beer from the fridge, took my sword from its sheath and worked on sharpening it. I had nothing else to do to pass the time." Tenryuu sighed, her face flushing slightly at the afterthought.

Nagato looked over at Tenryuu, her gaze intense, but kind. "Go on,"

"Yeah. So anyway, I'd been working on my sword for a few hours, polished it and all, and gotten Tatsuta's glaive as well. I'd been working on that for a while too since she never got around to working on it. Damn that thing was dull. I'd been at it for a while, and had heard the door open and close, which worried me. I heard a crash and then a snap, and Tatsuta screamed, so I grabbed my sword, glad that I'd just sharpened it, and rushed outside to see what had happened, right?"

Nagato nodded. "Well I got outside, and see my baby sister lying on the ground, clutching her arm, crying," Tenryuu went on, voice breaking slightly again. "I knew she'd broken it, so I helped her up and got her into the house and had tried to get hold of Akashi or Yubari, but the phone lines were dead. Gave her ice to try to numb her arm, but I really couldn't do much more myself. At first light I was planning on finding Akashi and having her help Tatsuta. I'd gotten her outside, and was getting ready to go find Akashi myself when you showed up."

"Well damn," Nagato said with a low whistle. She paused in her walking, to look around. She frowned. Akashi had pink hair. She should stick out pretty well, but Nagato hadn't seen her at all. She sighed, then headed for Akashi's workshop once again, Tenryuu following. As Nagato retraced the same path she'd taken i the opposite direction only and hour earlier, she did catch a familiar face, or rather three familiar faces. "Hey, Bisko!" she called.

The German turned in surprise, as did Eugen, and Graf, who were with her. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Oh, Nagato. What do you want?"

Nagato winced internally at Bismarck's slightly hostile nature, but she knew there wasn't much more she could do to change Bismarck's opinion right then and there. She walked over to meet the trio. "Have any of you seen Akashi?"

"Yeah, we just saw her," Bismarck replied. "Graf got a nasty cut on her arm from a piece of rock. Why do you need her?"

Nagato tried to gauge Bismarck's attitude. She didn't sound hostile, but the way she asked Nagato questions implied otherwise. Nagato looked down at Tatsuta, concern on her face. Bismarck followed her gaze, and her eyes widened.

"Oh. Oh my. I see. Well follow me, then. Hurry!" Bismarck called. "You two, go find something extra to work on, to help fix this place up." She indicated Graf and Eugen, before grabbing Nagato and Tenryuu by the hand and pulling them towards a small covered tent. "She's been in there all morning. I'll leave you out here and let you two explain what happened. After which I'll take you back to Mutsu," Bismarck added with a slight smirk.

Nagato gapped for a moment, then sputtered something about skinning Bismarck when she had the chance, before carrying Tatsuta in to Akashi with Tenryuu right behind her. Akashi looked up wearily as the trio entered. She had been sitting at the side of a bed containing Hatsuzuki, whose arm was wrapped in bandages. The tent only had a few lamps spread throughout, which kept the tent dark.

"Ah, Nagato. What happened to Tatsuta?" She stood, and hurried around the see Tatsuta closer. "Broken arm. Few cuts. Possible sprained wrist." Akashi looked up at Tenryuu. You were with her I assume? When this all happened? You are inseparable after all. Oh, and Nagato? Please set her down on this bed," Akashi indicated another bed over in the corner, secluded from the others.

"I'll explain. Thanks, Nagato. For everything," Tenryuu whispered. "I'll make it up to you later. Promise."

Nagato nodded. She squeezed Tenryuu's shoulder briefly, before heading back outside.

Bismarck was still waiting, idly chatting with Yamato, when she noticed Nagato was back. "Ah, Nagato. Excuse me, Yamato-san. I'll have to give that a try when I get a chance. Whenever that is. But right now, I have something more pressing to attend to." Yamato nodded with a smile, before standing and heading over to continue helping Yahagi remove broken windows and replace them with new ones.

Bismarck turned back to Nagato "Nagato, come with me. Your sister's waking up. You probably want a word with her, eh."


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Nagato sat next to Mutsu, who'd recovered well enough with rest to sit up and attempt to have a chat with her. Nagato had winced when she'd first fully seen her sister. Mutsu was much thinner, and her face was slightly gaunt.

Nagato gripped her sister's hand. "How do you feel?"

Mutsu turned to her sister. "Better. A little lightheaded I suppose, but it could have been much worse."

Nagato blinked hard. "Please don't say that. Please." She wrung her hands. Mutsu looked at her in concern. "I just didn't want to your last impression of me to be what it was."

Mutsu looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Nagato got up from her chair and pushed next to Mutsu on the sofa. "There's something I've been wanting to make sure I tell you for a while now. It's been on my mind since the others returned from Vladivostok."

Mutsu's face softened, and she smiled at Nagato. "Ah, that. What is it?"

"You know as well as I do how bad I am when it comes to dealing with other people's antics., but I want to fix that." She paused, and squeezed her sister hand, trying to communicate through her hand as well. "I, um, I just wanted to apologize for my actions that night. It wasn't a good time for me, as I'm sure you know. But that doesn't excuse my actions then." Nagato tried to meet her sister's eyes, but couldn't. Mutsu put a hand on Nagato's face and tried to get her to look at her. Nagato resisted at first, but finally gave in and allowed Mutsu to guide her gaze to her own.

"Nagato, please look at me," Mutsu pleaded

"I know that you have no reason to forgive me and I-" Nagato started, but Mutsu stopped her.

"I do. We can't remain apart like this. We'll destroy each other. I'll forgive you because that's what sisters do." Nagato blinked several times, her vision going blurry. How could her sister just forgive her like that? She looked up and noticed that Mutsu was crying too.

"How? Just like that?" Nagato wasn't so much frustrated as she was amazed. Smiling through her tears, Nagato reached up and tried to hug her sister. To her surprise, Mutsu reached over and pulled Nagato into her lap.

Voice breaking, Mutsu whispered into Nagato's ear, and Nagato shivered slightly and curled up in her sister's lap, allowing Mutsu to hold her. "I missed you, Nagato. You weren't the same sister I had when I first came here. Something had changed. Now I've got you back." Mutsu gripped her sister's shoulders, as Nagato sat up to look at Mutsu again.

"I almost lost you too," She shivered at the thought, something Mutsu didn't miss. "And I couldn't let your last memory of me be what it was."

"Oh, Nagato." Mutsu whispered. "I'd never think any less of you for that. We've both struggled with leading this district, and hard times and sometimes inconsiderate actions are inevitable. But that doesn't reduce my view of you at all." Mutsu looked into Nagato's eyes. A tear ran down the side of Nagato's cheek, and Mutsu paused to wipe it away. "You're one of the Big Seven. Remember that."

Nagato forced herself to sit up. Mutsu was warm, and she was falling asleep on her sister's lap. "I-I do remember, Mutsu-san." She smiled, and Mutsu again returned it. "So can we agree to move past this whole mess then, right?"

Mutsu nodded without a second thought. "Of course." She paused for a moment, then freed herself from Nagato's weight and stood up. Frowning, Nagato pulled herself into a sitting position, and looked at Mutsu in confusion. Mutsu grabbed her hand and pulled her up.

"What's this?" Nagato asked, confused.

"Well, I have a proposition to make to you," Mutsu said, a bit of her leader-personality creeping back into her voice. Nagato recognised it, and she sighed inwardly.

"And what is that?" Nagato asked, standing as well.

"Join me," Mutsu said simply. "Help me run this place once Bismack and her friends leave. We both know it takes a crew to do it right, and we can't always pull Tenryuu and Tatsuta away from their own lives all the time." Mutsu smiled. "What say you?"

Nagato blinked, thinking for a moment. "Give me a moment to think about this."

"Hey careful now. Let's not add to Aksashi's problems by burning her place down, eh?" Mutsu teased.

Nagato laughed, and lightly punched her sister on the arm. It felt good, to be able to share a genuine laugh with Mutsu after so long. "Deal. I'll join you." Mutsu beamed. "It'll be fun to work with you again. It's been so long."

Mutsu held out a hand, and the pair shook. Instead of breaking the contact right away, Mutsu pulled Nagato back to her, before letting her hand go. "Thank you, Nagato. For all of this."

Nagato shrugged. "Anything for my sister," She grinned, before stepping forward and hugging her sister properly. Mutsu returned the gesture, finally feeling a weight she hadn't known she was carrying melt off her heart. She was sure Nagato had experienced the same thing.

 **Hey guys. You all know I've had a pretty rapid upload time, usually every other day. This was only possible due to my large backlog, which with this chapter is now exhausted. I'm struggling with writing the rest (curse you writer's block), so I will probably be putting this on hiatus for a time, with updates coming more slowly. I'm almost done with this story, with at more 5-7 more chapters left. I'm not going away, but the new stuff will be coming much slower. Sorry for that!**


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

As the following day went on, the continued cleanup from the storm wound down, with the majority of work left to do amounting to little more than ard cleanup, Mutsu had set in motion the rest of the plans to prep the district for the party. She'd already worked with Hiryuu to make arrangements for Musashi to attend, and Kaga and Mamiya had convinced Soyuz and Kirov to come down, but none of that would be any good if there wasn't a place for them to spend the night. The carriers had been working on the old dorm for the past day and a half, but that was only the dorm itself. Mutsu sighed. She wasn't the best when it came to making things look pretty. Drawing a blank, she went inside to see if Tenryuu or her sister were around. Normally, her first thoughts went to Nagato, but she'd left their room early, leaving a note saying she'd gone down to see how work of the dorm-turned-dance hall was coming along. As Mutsu headed over to grab a root beer from the fridge, lost in thought, she nearly ran into Tenryuu, who sidestepped her and grabbed her arm with a "Whoa there, boss. Watch where you're walking, eh?"

Jumping in surprise, Mutsu jerked her head up. "Oh, Tenryuu. Hey. Sorry about that. I was thinking about some stuff." She paused for a moment, before looking back at Tenryuu. "Maybe you can help me."

Tenryuu looked up in surprise. "What'cha need boss?"Tatsuta looked up as she brought snacks for Mutsu and her sister.

Mutsu sighed. She grabbed her root beer and a bag of chips and headed over to the couch, beckoning Tenryuu and Tatsuta to follow her. As the three made themselves comfortable, Mutsu looked over at the two sister, her face a bit more serious than it usually was. "Well, in short, it's Nagato. Even though I forgave her and we're back on good terms with each other, I'm not sure if the rest of the District will be so accepting of her again, after those other incidents." Mutsu sighed, and turned to Tenryuu, giving her a stare.

Tenryuu nodded. "I see what ya want. If someone asks questions we'll back you two up?"

Mutsu nodded. "If you do back us up, that is,"

Tenryuu frowned. "Why wouldn't we? Nagato helped Tatsuta with her arm, and we both owe her for that. " She put a hand on Mutsu's shoulder. "Don't worry. The district will trust your judgment. Plus some girls are calling you immortal," Tenryuu added with a wink. She stood to leave, Tatsuta with her. Mutsu coughed, and tried to say something, but before she could the pair were gone, presumably to oversee more preparations for Friday.

Mutsu sighed."Well since that hopefully won't be a problem, I'll go put up the revised command staff list now then. Tenryuu's right. If they're behind me on allowing Nagato back in, then we shouldn't have too much of an issue. Especially since Nagato appears to have undergone quite an attitude change since before."

Ten minutes later, as she was tacking the list to the board outside the office, she was approached by a Bismarck and Eugen. Mutsu turned to them in surprise. "Oh hey you two. Caught a break eh?"

Bismarck nodded. "Yeah. What'cha got there?" She reached over and pulled the paper out of Mutsu's hand. She looked it over for a moment, her face emotionless. Eugen leaned over Bis's shoulder and read the list herself.

Bismarck waited for a moment, before handing Mutsu her paper back, and looked her in the eye. Bismarck's face was expressionless, and it took quite a bit of Mutsu's concentration to hold Bismarck's gaze. "Normally, I would disapprove of reinstilling a former commander who has been removed as Nagato was." Bismarck looked over at Eugen. "I still do. Nagato did not lead this place well, and I do not think she should become part of the leadership team again. Until you can convince me otherwise, I will not be fully satisfied or pleased."

Bismarck stared into Mutsu's eyes, her cold blue eyes boring into Mutsu's brown ones. Mutsu felt the sun on her back, and the sweat dripped down her neck. Bismarck continued to hold her gaze, until she was forced to blink due to a bead of sweat dripping into her eye. Bismarck cursed and began rubbing at her eye. Mutsu waited for a moment, before reacting and pulling out a rag out of her pocket. Bismarck accepted it and Mutsu wiped her own brow with her sleeve.

Mutsu waited for Bismarck to recover, before addressing her. "I understand what you mean, Bismarck. I am waiting to see how Nagato performs and how she interacts with the rest of the district. I am not blind to the suspected distrust of Nagato, so I'm going to address that later, before the dance. Right now, I need to head down to the dorm to check on everything, so if you two want to get a snack at Mamiya's or something go ahead and do that. You know where to find me. Oh and Bis?" Bismarck turned. "Thank you for your thoughts."


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Mutsu could feel the tension in the room as she waited for the last few girls to take their seats. She would make the announcement about her staff changes now, then dismiss them to prepare for the evening. She'd brought her staff with her to the stage, and could feel Nagato's nervous gaze on her back. He was sweating already, and Mutsu could hear a few mutters coming from the crowd when they noticed her on stage. Before things escalated too much, Mutsu pulled the mic out of the stand and addressed the crowd.

"I know you all are looking forward to tonight, so I'll keep this brief. In short, I've made a couple of changes, which you probably have already noticed. We know all too well how the idea of having one person in charge of everything failed. So that is going. Instead we'll plan on each of the classes of ships electing three representatives, to represent themselves along with the others. Those 12 will work with myself, Nagato, and Tenryuu and Tatsuta in running this district. As for Nagato's being here again, I know that will raise questions by itself. I will explain. One of the biggest things I now understand having run this place for a few weeks now is that is definitely a job that requires many people. With the small group Nagato had to work with, she did well, but that was too much. Why it took me so long to recognise that I don't know, but the stress of running such an entire naval district with very little outside help can make even the best crack under the pressure.

Given the events that transpired over the past couple of months, Nagato did well to ensure the damage was not worse that it was. However, some things got out of hand, and were mismanaged. Therefore, while I will be accepting her back onto my staff, she will remain under my command, and I will be keeping an eye on her and the others in the coming months, to ensure that nothing else goes wrong. With that said, any questions you have can be directed at Tatsuta, who will either answer them as best she can, or pass them on to me."

Mutsu paused and took a sip of water before going on. "In closing, I want to thank you all for your understanding. I can promise you all this: That we will all do our best to ensure that none of the events of the past few months will repeat themselves. Now that's enough of me talking-go get yourselves ready for tonight. Kaga, Mamiya, can you please find me before you head off?" With that, Mutsu turned back to Nagato and smiled. Nagato returned the smile a bit wearily, but relieved nevertheless.

As the next day drew to a close, the district seemed to hum with energy. Most everyone knew of the party, and what the theme was, but Kaga had only told Akagi and Shokaku about her and Mamiya's plan to invite Soyuz and Kirov down to Yokosuka for the night as well. Even Hiryuu and Souryuu were left in the dark. As everyone began to return to their dorms from setting up in preparation for the night's festivities, Zuikaku could tell she was being left out of something, she just wasn't sure what.

Glancing over to her sister, who was busy chatting with Kaga and Mamiya, she voiced her confusion. "Hey Sho? What's going on here, huh?" Shokaku turned and looked at Zuikaku, but said nothing. "I mean, all of you are walking around whispering about something, but I seem to be the only one who doesn't have the faintest idea what you're all discussing." Zuikaku frowned.

Kaga glanced over at them. "Zui, don't worry about it. You'll figure everything out tonight. Trust me alright?" Zuikaku didn't appear completely convinced, but she nodded and turned back to her own thoughts. The lengthening shadows and call of insects nearby only served to enhance the strange sense of foreboding that flooded Zuikaku's mind.

As Zuikaku and the others headed back to her dorm room to change for the evening, the conversation turned to more relaxed topics, such as what everyone was wearing for the night. While Kaga wasn't too forthcoming about her attire, mostly due to her more reserved nature, Zuikaku on the other hand seemed not to care about telling everyone else that she was going to dress up as a turkey. Upon hearing the news, Kaga attempted to hide her laughter, but ended up coughing and breaking down anyway.

"I-I'm sorry." She gasped. "It's just, I never thought you'd be crazy enough to actually dress up like that." Zuikaku only laughed as well, before turning to Akagi and asking about her plans.

"Oh I'm planning on being a queen, as always," She said with an attempt at a regality and a toss of her hair. The warm orange light coming from a streetlamp nearby bathed Akagi in a light fit for a queen, something Shokaku did point out with a smirk.

"Well this will be interesting to say the least," Zuikaku said, her face having returned to its normal color. Hiryuu and Souryuu bid the group goodbye, breaking off to prepare themselves. Mamiya also turned back, saying that she would have to get a few last minute things ready for the evening. Nodding, the four remaining girls headed for their own rooms as well, as they all had quite a bit of preparation to do themselves.

At roughly ten of eight, everyone began to make their way down to the concert hall one by one and in small groups. Upon seeing Zuikaku wearing a complete turkey costume, without a care in the world, nearly everyone nearby began cracking up laughing, and Zuikaku, to her credit, didn't flush too badly. Shokaku was also dressed as a bird, but had decided to go as a crane rather than humiliate herself in the way her sister had. Even though everyone had explained what they were dressing as, it didn't make anything less funny. Kaga joined the pair, and at first didn't appear to have done anything to dress herself up. In response to Zuikaku's curious glance, she held up a hand and reached back inside for a bag. She pulled out a scoped crossbow in place of her usual one, as well as replacing her normal flight deck with a more modern one. Her arrows now consisted of modern JMSDF helicopters rather than WW2-era fixed wing planes. Zuikaku stared at her for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"You're the modern equivalent of yourself, eh?" She asked with a laugh. Kaga nodded, blushing. Kaga walked down to stand with the others while they waited for Akagi. She wasn't one to want to be flashy and be noticed and stared at by everyone, so she'd chosen a more relaxed costume. Once Akagi made her appearance, however, everyone turned and gaped at Akagi in astonishment.

"Well, do you think this is enough?" Akagi asked, a bit self-conscious. While Zuikaku was still staring dumbfounded at Akagi's radical appearance, Shokaku knelt down and didn't even look up at her.

"You look splendid, your highness," she murmured. Still fighting a laugh, Zuikaku also knelt as best she could, offering her own honours to Akagi, before also standing to take in her outfit. Akagi had swapped her usual attire for silky, ruby red robes that reached just past her ankles with matching red heels and a black crown rimed with rubies. She'd died her hair jet black and added red highlights. An assortment of necklaces and bracelets adorned her neck and arms. She'd discarded her bow in favor of a staff with the likeness of a wolf head on the end. A touch of reddish-black eyeliner under both her eyes completed her makeover.

"Wow. Just wow," Shokaku had no more words to say. Nor did anyone else, so everyone agreed to make their way down towards the party, as it was already past 2000. As the four reached the concert hall, music could be already be heard from inside. Entering, the four found that they were not at all alone in going all out in dressing up. While different girls had done themselves up to different extents, it was Ashigara who would have to take first place.

She stood off to one side of the stage, surrounded by her sisters. But no matter how many people were around her, Ashigara's wolf costume drew all eyes to her. Although she claimed the fur was fake, it only took one brush against her "arm" to realise that the fur was, in fact, real. Where Ashigara got enough real wolf fur to make a costume, no one dared to ask, although a few had ideas.

A few minutes after Zuikaku and the others arrived, Naka took to the stage and proceeded to open the dance floor for the evening, as well as the adjacent bar. As Zuikaku heard the announcement about the bar, she shot a questioning glance at her sister, who only made a shoo-ing gesture with their hands. Zuikaku turned around and made her way over to the drinks. As she browsed the options, her mind wandered. Over the past week, she'd thought more and more about the upcoming changes, namely being able to have access to a computer. While she knew she would love being able to talk with her friends easier, as well as the relaxation, she also had thought a lot about her _other_ friends, whom she hadn't seen in several months. Whether Soyuz or Kirov even remembered her she wasn't sure.

Sighing in resignation, she looked over the drinks table again, and noticed a familiar group of bottles. She grabbed one, knowing she'd seen it before somewhere, but couldn't remember where. Vodka. She sighed. Was this someone's idea of a cruel joke?


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

As the night wore on, Zuikaku began to feel a bit worn out after the second hour. She set aside her glass after she emptied it for the third time. The music didn't appeal to her. Green Day and AC/DC, or something. Whoever suggested that music needed counseling, she thought. As Zuikaku stood and made her way over to Kaga and the others, she could see her huddled together with the other carriers. They saw her coming and started smiling, leaving Zuikaku quite frustrated. As Zuikaku reached her friends, Kaga walked over to her with a mischievous smile in her face.

"Hey Zui, can you wait here?" Kaga asked. She was smiling, something that she didn't do that often. Even more confused, Zuikaku agreed to sit down and wait. Kaga smiled, and sat beside her with a glint in her eyes. Zuikaku watched Hiryuu and Shokaku make their way up to the stage. Frowning, Zuikaku looked over at Kaga.

"You've been hiding something. I saw you five talking just now, then you all look over at me and suddenly shut up. And you're grinning. If those aren't red flags I don't know what is." Zuikaku leaned forward, glaring at Kaga. "And to make matters worse, this music is absolutely terrible. Not that I can dance in this costume, but still…"

Kaga smirked. "Don't you worry, Zui. All will be resolved soon. Trust me," She leaned back in her chair and finished off her second bottle of vodka. She set it down in front in Zuikaku, before turning her attention back to the girl. Zuikaku appeared to be getting increasingly bored. Kaka frowned. _You'd better hurry up Akagi-san. Or this will all be for naught._

Backstage, Akagi was hurrying. She'd headed out the the docks fifteen minutes ago, and was waiting when Soyuz and Kirov had arrived, right on schedule. After helping them slip backstage as quietly as she could, Hiryuu and Souryuu had helped the two ditch their equipment and get dressed for their own performance. As Hiryuu handed her her boots, Soyuz paused, then hurried over to her stuff and pulled out a small bag.

"Hiryuu, I need to give these to Zui when I see her."

Hiryuu smiled. I'll take care of it. They'll be right here for you when you're done."

Soyuz nodded, smiling in gratitude. "Thanks. I brought some extra clothes for her. She seemed to take a liking to them when she was staying with me."

Hiryuu nodded, as she helped Soyuz with her black eyeliner. "I think that'll be better for her than what she has on now. Oh, did you guys bring that stuff for Zui and the others that we discussed on Tuesday?"

Soyuz paused for a moment, before nodding. "Of course. I wouldn't come all the way down here without bringing those. Now let's get going. Get that music ready, eh?"

Hiryuu nodded. "Souryuu's already on it. We're all waiting for you now." She patted Soyuz's shoulder, and sent her off to the stage. Kaga appeared backstage, slightly out of breath. Hiryuu turned as she hurried over. "Kaga. What's up? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah it's fine," Kaga turned to Soyuz before going on. "Zui's fallen asleep. I'm going to wake her up, but only once the music starts and you start singing. Otherwise it won't be a surprise."

Soyuz smiled, nodding. "I'll look for you walking back when I get on stage." She gave Kaga a one-armed hug, before turning to Kirov and nodding. "Well it's about time. I can watch for you from here, alright?"

Kaga nodded, and turned to head back to Zuikaku. Akagi headed over to let Naka, who'd been in charge of announcements for the night, know that Soyuz was ready to go on. Hiryuu glanced at the other carriers, none of whom could hide their grins. Soyuz saw Kaga reach her seat next to Zuikaku, and nodded for Naka to cue to music. and to que her music.

Naka grinned and nodded. "Coming right up!" She was very excited, and it rubbed off on the others.

"Showtime," Soyuz said. Kaga hurried off to rejoin Zuikaku. As Soyuz waited for Kaga to leave, she reached over to a corner of the stage and picked up a case from where she'd set it discreetly before meeting with Kaga and the others. Smiling to herself, she set the case down, turned to Soyuz with slight smirk, and eased her new guitar out of its case.

Kirov looked at Soyuz and grinned. "Ah, so you want me to take care of that then?"

"Yeah it'll be better that way," Soyuz said. "Allows me to focus on singing and stuff."

Kirov nodded. "You got it sis!" She gave Soyuz a quick hug, then slung the guitar over he shoulder, grabbed a pick, and followed Soyuz onto the stage. Before too many people began to ask questions Soyuz took another deep breath and began singing.

" _Gravity. Don't mean too much to me. I'm who I've got to be These pigs are after me, after you. Run away like it was yesterday. And we could run away. If we could run away, Run away from here."_ As Soyuz reached the end of that line, Kirov began playing her guitar solo, and Soyuz tapped her foot to remember the beat. She'd followed Kaga back to her seat and found Zuikaku passed out on the table. As Kirov continued her solo, she noticed Zuikaku starting to stir. Soyuz smiled. She'd been looking forward to this day since she'd been invited to the party.

Kaga had taken her seat after wishing Soyuz good luck. She had an idea of what was going on, and although she badly wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to wake Zui up early. Wen Soyuz began playing, however, Kaga knew it was only a matter of time. Sure enough, within couple minutes of the song, Zuikaku stirred and pulled herself up.

"Kaga what the he-" Zuikaku looked up at the stage and caught sight of who was performing. "N-No way. Is that-?" She stood, and began making her way towards the stage. Kaga followed. Soyuz saw Zuikaku wake up, saw the shock on her face, and locked eyes with Kirov. Kirov had seen Zuikaku moving as well, and finished up her piece. As the song ended, Soyuz made her way over to the side of the stage. Zuikaku hurried up the stairs and ran over to see her friend. Soyuz said nothing as Zuikaku ran up to her, only holding out her arms and bracing herself. Zuikaku tackled Soyuz with a hug and nearly knocked the Russian girl off her feet.

After a moment, Zuikaku pulled away, eyes wet. Soyuz wasn't dry-eyed either, however. Zuikaku was smiling. "I think we have some catching up to do, eh?"

"That we do, that we do," Soyuz said softly.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

"Why am I not surprised to hear that?" Zuikaku looked over at Soyuz as the two walked back toward Zuikaku's dorms. Night had fallen hours ago, and although it was dark, Zuikaku could easily make out her friend's face in the moonlight. She'd felt relaxed and happy in the past, but all that seemed irrelevant now. Zuikaku hadn't really expected to hear from Soyuz at all after she left Vladivostok. However now suddenly she was back, and Zuikaku hadn't realised until now how much she missed her good friend. Soyuz seemed just as happy, even if she didn't show it as much.

"Ah well, ever since you left, I'd thought more and more about those two songs you really liked and I was kinda hoping I'd get to see you again, eventually." Soyuz's face flushed slightly as she spoke, and Zuikaku chuckled. "So I bought myself a guitar and started trying to teach myself how to play. Kirov helped me after a while."

"Ah neat. I've never really had an opportunity to learn how to play an instrument. Or listen to much music of any sort." Zuikaku said softly. "Things got pretty crazy here not long after i returned. And that's putting it lightly."

Soyuz raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? You'll have to fill me in tomorrow when I'm away enough to understand everything." Zuikaku nodded. "But anyway," Soyuz went on, "About those drinks I mentioned earlier…"

"The ones that you brought but wouldn't open until we'd had some time to catch up?" Zuikaku asked. Soyuz nodded, before stopping and slinging her bag off her shoulder. She pulled out two bottles of vodka. Zuikaku grinned. "I knew you were hiding something. That bag seemed heavier than if it just had clothes and stuff in it."

Soyuz smiled, then headed towards Zuikaku's dorms. As she drew nearer, Zuikaku noticed the outline of a case sitting on the porch. "What's that?"

"You'll see," Soyuz said with a smirk. She grabbed the case and stood aside so Zuikaku could open the door for her. As Zuikaku hung up her costume and got settled on her couch Soyuz set about getting Zui and herself some drinks. After looking for a few minutes for the glasses, she came over and sat beside Zuikaku and handed her her drink. Zuikaku took it with a smile. Soyuz raised the glass. "To our friendship"

"To our friendship."

The two clinked glasses, then drank. Zuikaku felt complete. She'd never realised how much she'd missed Soyuz. "Hey Soyuz?"

"Yea what's up?"

Do you ever wear something besides that style of clothing?" Zuikaku gestured to Soyuz;s outfit, which didn't seem to have changed in the few months since they'd last seen each other.

"Not really. I like the looks of it," Soyuz shrugged. She stood and brought the bottle out to the living room. "Which brings me to something else I wanted to check off early."

"Oh?" Zuikaku didn't hide her surprise.

Soyuz walked over to her bag and rummaged around for a moment, before pulling out a smaller bag and handing it to Zuikaku.. "It's not much, but at least it's something…"

Zuikaku took the bag and looked it over. 'For my sister.' "S-Soyuz...did you mean to write that?"

"What you need to understand Zui, is that unlike you, I don't have any actual siblings, so those that I become close to are usually friends that I connect with in some way." Soyuz's voice had gone from a light-hearted and cheery tone to sounding like she was ready to cry.

"So you kinda think of me as a your sister now?" Zuikaku asked.

Soyuz nodded. "Sorry if that bothers you. You do have Shokaku after all…" Her voice trailed off and she wouldn't meet Zuikaku's eyes.

"Hey-" Zuikaku reached over and put a hand on Soyuz's shoulder. "It's fine. I can have two sisters. I don't think Sho is gonna mind, after she saw how kind and welcoming you were towards me."

Soyuz looked up, slightly worried. "Are you sure you're ok with me considering you my sister? That is getting quite personal."

Zuikaku said nothing, then slid closer to Soyuz, and pulled her friend into a hug. Soyuz said nothing, only returning Zuikaku's gesture.

"So you're really ok with me calling you my sister?" Soyuz still seemed to be struggling to accept that Zuikaku was ok with everything.

Zuikaku nodded. "I'd be honoured to call you my sister. You're slightly younger than me, so I won't be the 'little sister' anymore, eh?" She added with a tease.

Soyuz looked up and gave a watery smile. "Alright then, sis." She pinched Zuikaku's cheek, causing the other girl to squirm and laugh. "Open your present."

"Yes ma'am," Zuikaku laughed. Soyuz poked her again, but said nothing. Zuikaku smiled, and untied the knot. Her eyes widened. "D-did you get these especially for me? They're the perfect size…" Soyuz still said nothing. Zuikaku set aside the shirt and pulled out a pair of ripped black jeans, nearly identical to what Soyuz was wearing. Zuikaku turned to her in astonishment.

"There's more," Soyuz said eagerly. Zuikaku's eyes widened and she reached down and pulled out a black leather bomber jacket, and a small box. She set the box on the table and stood, pulling on the jacket as she did. It fit her perfectly. Speechless, she stood there wearing the jacket, dumbfounded. Soyuz pushed the box into her hands. "Open it," she whispered.

"A-alright," Zuikaku stammered. She untied the ribbon, and opened the box. She pulled out a bottle of hair gel and a necklace. Setting the gel aside, not wanting to think about Soyuz's motives for bringing it, she unwrapped and slipped the necklace around her neck, finally fastening it with Soyuz's help.

"You look awesome," Soyuz said. "But you can be better. Go change and put everything on, then I'll help you with your hair."

Zuikaku grabbed her stuff and hurried to change. Once Zuikaku was out of sight, Soyuz hurried over to the closet, where she'd hidden the last piece of her gift. Setting the box under the table, she sat down with her guitar, set her phone on the armrest next to her, opened her tuning app, and set about finalising the last piece of her plan. As Soyuz played though the first few lines of "Famous Last Words", her mind drifted off and she played on autopilot for a few minutes, only to be pulled from her dream but Zuikaku's voice.

"You, uh, said something about my hair when I was done?" Soyuz looked up and almost did a double take. She nearly didn't recognise Zuikaku expect for her hair. Which she planned on fixing. Otherwise Soyuz suspected even Shokaku wouldn't have noticed her.

"Oh, right," Soyuz blinked a few times to refocus her thoughts. "I was gonna show you how to use this stuff, but the directions are on the bottle and I didn't have anyone teach me." She threw the hair gel at Zuikaku, who caught it in surprise.

"Uh, ok then," she said.

Soyuz grinned, then turned back to her guitar. "I do hope she doesn't get that stuff everywhere. It can be a bit hard to clean up." Shaking the thoughts away she picked up her guitar once more and lost herself again in the music.

After playing through the song twice to make sure she could teach it well enough, Soyuz waited for Zuikaku to return, which she soon did.

"Well?" Zuikaku sounded a bit unsure of herself. "How bad is it?"

"Not bad at all. Actually, pretty darn good for a first time," Soyuz said with a low whistle. "I do like how you left the tips of your hair undyed. Green highlights look good on you."

Zuikaku breathed a sigh of relief, and took a seat next to Soyuz. Something under the table caught her eye, and she bent down to investigate. "What have we here?"

"Oh. That." Soyuz set her guitar back in its case for the time being. "That, is the last piece I have to give you." She slid over to give Zuikaku room to open it.

"No way! How much did all this stuff cost you?" Zuikaku exclaimed, pulling out a pair of knee-height black boots and held one on her hands, gazing at it.

"A decent bit," Soyuz admitted. "But I'd be willing to bet it'll be worth it." Zuikaku quickly slipped her boots on, although she didn't take the time to lace them.

Soyuz watched her, before grabbing her phone and taking a quick picture, for posterity's sake. "I'd be surprised if anyone here recognises you at all tomorrow."

"They'll probably think I'm you or Kirov," Zuikaku agreed with a laugh.

"Yeah, probably," Soyuz agreed, smiling. She looked at her phone. "Well, it is getting late. I had more things I would have liked to do tonight but they can wait. We both need some sleep now I think."

Zuikaku nodded, stifling a yawn. "Yeah, I think so."


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Nagato sighed. She knew, after the last night, that most people were truly much happier with the way Mutsu, Tenryuu, and the others were running the district. Not that it really bothered her too much. Nagato was happy to allow Mutsu and the others to deal with the issues of running a district will she focused on rebuilding her reputation among the girls on base. Many were all too away of the role Nagato had, or hadn't, played in the events of the past few months, and were subtly giving her a harder time. Nagato remember the previous night, when Bismarck had addressed the party-goers and broken the news to them that she, along with Eugen and Graf, would only be around for a few more days before having to head back to Scapa Flow. Nagato only found out later that Bismarck had invited Mutsu and pretty much the entire rest of the leadership to a private dinner, courtesy of Mamiya's cafe. She had not been included, and although Prinz Eugen had privately told her that Bismarck had intended it to be for "current staff", Nagato had a suspicion that there was more too in than that, although she said nothing to Prinz at the time. Soon they would be leaving, and although Nagato was grateful for their help, she would, in a small way, glad to see them leave. Too many bad memories came too the surface of how she'd failed as a leader. She knew she should say something to the district, but she wanted them to be able to enjoy the time or rest.

Now as she lay on her bed in the dorm she shared with Mutsu, Nagato tried to force herself awake. It was dark out, still early. She checked her phone-0530. Despite feeling slightly miffed by Bismarck, she was in generally good spirits, as seeing everyone relax had been relaxing for her as well. If only the weather had shared her feelings. Over the night, a cloudy front had moved in, and the district was cloaked in fog. Heavy cloud cover kept everything quite dark. Not that too many people had taken too much notice. Nagato remember the reactions the past night when Kirov had announced that they were donating a set of TV's and for each of the dorm rooms and smartphones for all who wanted them, courtesy of Gangut and the Vladivostok Naval District. Everyone had sat in stunned silence for a moment then blown Nagato's ears out with their cheers.

While Soyuz had disappeared to catch up with Zuikaku, Kirov had spent the night helping set up the TV's in the dorms, and hadn't managed to get to sleep until nearly 0200, after hurrying through the last few as the storm moved closer. Nagato yawned, but couldn't force herself awake yet. Sometime today she'd have to meet with Mutsu, Bismarck and her friends to thank them for helping out. Nagato knew that she'd have to find Bismarck and put any differences behind them, as much as she hated those conversations. She figured it would be better to try to talk to Musu first, and then once she knew everything was ok between them, attempt to reason with Bismarck. Yawning, she forced herself out of bed and got dressed. Grabbing a light jacket and her phone, she hurried out the door. Making the short trip to Mutsu's office by heart, she still very nearly got lost. The fog had gotten thicker even since she'd woken up. Darker, too, it seemed. She shook her head.

"Hey Mutsu, you in here?" Nagato called, easing the door shut quietly, in case her sister was still sleeping, and hanging up her jacket. She heard the fridge door close, and soon Mutsu appeared in the doorway, glass of orange juice in hand.

"Oh, Nagato," Mutsu's face brightened. "This is a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?"

"Just needed to confirm something with you." Nagato took a seat on the couch, and Mutsu soon joined her

"What's bothering you sis?"

Nagato sighed. "Are we on good terms with each other?"

Mutsu's eyes widened. "Of course! Why would you think otherwise?"

Nagato shrugged "I don't know. It's just, well, I get that feeling sometimes, that people still hold what happened against me to an extent."

"Some people take a bit of time to get over some things and see past them. You'll be fine. I'll watch out for you. Promise," Mutsu set her drink down and pulled her older sister into a hug. Nagato sighed. She was still tired, and could still use a nap, but before she could say anything more to Mutsu, she was interrupted by frantic pounding on the door. Nagato pulled herself up, and the two hurried to see what was going on. No sooner had Mutsu unlocked it, then Tatsuta threw herself inside and looked at the two with wide eyes.

"It's Tenryuu-sama. She's-just-it…" Tatsuta couldn't finish. Nagato and Mutsu exchanged glances. Whatever unhinged Tatsuta this much was something they should probably take seriously, even if Tatsuta was overprotective at times.

"Tatsuta, come lay down," Mutsu murmured, guiding her over to the couch. "Where is she?"

H-home n-now," Tatsuta managed.

Mutsu nodded. She turned to Nagato. "Find Akashi and Mamiya. Have Mamiya bring ice and one of her smoothies. Akashi needs her first aid bag." Nagato nodded, then sprintied from the room. "We'll be back soon. Tenryuu will be fine, ok?" Tatsuta nodded. Mutsu patted her shoulder, then left for Tenryuu's place, locking the door behind her. _Hours earlier_

For the fourth time that night, Tenryuu woke up, and looked around her. On the other side of the bed, her sister Tatsuta was still somehow asleep. Groaning, Tenryuu looked at her phone. Ignoring the 7 missed messages, she looked at the time. 0317. "Damnit," she muttered. I'm not getting sleep tonight then." Slowly, she eased herself out of bed, pulled on her uniform, grabbed her sword, and headed for the door. A walk at night usually calmed her and and allowed her to get some rest later on. As she left the dorm, she strapped on her sword. She never went anywhere alone without it on. Ever. As she Began walking down one of the many paths that led through the woods, Tenryuu noticed how much denser, and even, to an extent, darker, the fog had become. _Odd_ , she though. As soon as she entered the woods, the mist seemed to close in slightly. Tenryuu shivered. She drew her sword, and bathed in the deep red glow that the edge of the blade emitted. _I must remember to thank Akashi for adding those lights next time I see her_. Swinging her blade though the fog on a diagonal, she breathed a small sigh of relief as it parted the fog like a cloud of steam.

Walking for nearly an hour had woken her up a bit and allowed her to clear her head. Shaking herself one more time, she was turned and headed back. Even though she'd walked these trails many times on many nights, she still found herself struggling to see where she was and where she was going. Frowning, she turned right at a crossroads and followed a slightly clearer path. As she was rubbing her eyes, trying to see where she was, a dark shape off to the right caught her eye.

Tenryuu stopped. Only now did she look again at her phone. Nothing from Tatsuta. 0525. _It should be getting light soon… What's going on?_ The forest was just as dark and oppressive as it had been earlier. Tenryuu shuddered when she thought about that. The darkness-oppressive. The more the thought about it, the more worried she began. Darkness was her friend, her source of strength. It comforted her. So why was she feeling so scared all of a sudden? Looking down the path ahead of her, she suddenly felt compelled to check it out, as if the dark somehow posed a threat to her, and to the district. She drew her sword.

Turning up the brightness on the blade edge, she pointed it towards the dark and slowly walked towards it, calling out a few times. Soon she'd gotten within 50 feet of the black and was able to get a closer look. The black seemed to move, with masses of dark clouds swirling in a constant circle. Shaking her head and avoiding direct eye contact with whatever it was, she then remembered how easily her sword had parted the fog earlier. _I can do this. It's a black cloud. I've faced much worse than this._ Raising her sword above her head, and charged the cloud. Letting out a guttural yell, she swung her sword through the smoke, and felt it bounce off something solid. Catching herself, she spun around and stabbed downward at where she guessed the centre of the mass should be. _That'll do it_ , she figured, only to have her sword bounce off the mass and only narrowly avoided stabbing herself in the foot. Yelping in stunned surprise, she backed off. To her immense relief, the cloud began to dissipate, although her pride had taken a blow.

"Damn rookie have turned myself to the side first," Tenryuu muttered. Then she looked at the sword in her hand, and her heart nearly stopped. The blade had turned completely black, although she could still see the red lights on the edge, working fine. She walked over and sat down on a fallen tree and examined her sword. As she looked closer at it, she realised that the blade seemed to liquify, before collecting in a solid band running the length of the flat of the blade. Frowning, she tapped the black band with her knuckle, but the sword seemed fine. She sheathed it and turned to head home, shaken, and was stopped in her tracks.

Agonising pain flared suddenly in the hand she had on her sword grip, and she tried to pull it away. She couldn't. Her hand seemed melted to the grip while white-hot tongues of pure, intense pain shot up her entire arm. Yowling in agony, she fell to the ground, arm twitching. She could hear her cries of pain resounding throughout the forest, and managed to realise that that fog was clearing up and the sky was lighter. The last thing she noticed before darkness took her was a small orange glow coming from where the black had been. She blacked out.


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Akashi frowned. She sat on a stool next to Tenryuu's bed. The fog had mostly burned off and the sun was trying to peek between clouds. Tatsuta had helped lead Akashi, Mutsu, and Nagato out through the woods for nearly an hour before Akashi found her, still lying on the ground with her sword next to her. She'd brought Tenryuu back to her room and laid her on the couch and looked her over. She seemed mostly fine, except for the third-degree burn on the palm of her right hand. Akashi had treated it well enough and wrapped it up. But there was a black strip burned into her hand from her glove, which had to be cut off.

Tenryuu stirred awake and looked over at Akashi. "W-where's Tatsuta? Is my sister alright?"

"Yeah, she's in the other room with Nagato and Mutsu," Akashi whispered. I'll get her for you." She stood and headed back into the kitchen, and called Tatsuta out. When Tenryuu saw her, her heart broke. Tatsuta's eyes were red and her face tear-streaked. She looked exhausted, even though it couldn't be later than 1100.

"Hey Tat," Tenryuu whispered. "You look awful."

Tatsuta rolled her eyes. " _I_ looked awful? Have you seen yourself lately?" Her voice cracked, and sat beside her sister on the bed. Tenryuu struggled into a sitting position with Tatsuta's help. Tenryuu put her good arm around her sister and held her close. Tatsuta nestled close to Tenryuu. "You scared me there. I'm glad you're ok."

"So am I Tat. So am I,"

Tatsuta looked over at Tenryuu's sword. "Akashi looked at your sword too. She said it's still sound and should serve you well for a while still. The only weird thing is that that the black band on the blade has become part of it. And it's always cold. Your grip is fine, oddly enough though. That only leaves the elephant in the room-what exactly happened out there?"

Tenryuu shivered. She wrapped her arms back around herself. "I-I...I don't know what that was. And it terrified me." She paused as Nagato and Mutsu entered the room and knelt next to the bed.

Mutsu looked at her with a small smile. "It's ok Tenryuu. You're safe here. It's just that we need to know, like Tatsuta said. If it's something that needs more investigating."

Tenryuu shivered, but nodded. "Here goes then. So I hadn't been able to sleep last night. Kept waking up for some reason all the time. Eventually I got annoyed enough to get up and go for a walk. Usually helps me clear my head. So I'd gone out and walked down towards the woods. Then I noticed how dense the fog was, almost like it had been generated by something. So I drew my sword and swung it to see what effect it would have. Seemed to cut through the fog easy enough. So I sheathed it again. Walked around for about an hour or so I think. Wasn't really about to tell where I was cause of the fog. It was kinda surreal. So I', walking back and I came to a crossroads."

She paused as Nagato shivered at that. "Oh-right. Sorry Nagato." Nagato waved it away. "Anyway, there was one path that was much clearer, so I took that one. Eventually I'd walked a ways down the path, when a black shape off to the right caught my moment I looked at it, l got this weird feeling. It was like I was suddenly afraid of the dark."

Everyone in the room blinked and looked at her in shock. "You. Felt afraid of the dark?" Mamiya asked worriedly. Tenryuu nodded. Mamiya stood and hurried into the kitchen. She returned a moment later with one of her smoothies. Tenryuu's eyes perked up. She looked at it hungrily. "Here. Drink this." Tenryuu needed no encouragement.

Wiping her lips, she went on. "So I drew my sword again, and pointed it at the mass. When I charged it, I'm not sure what I was hoping to accomplish, but I went in anyway. When I swung, I hit something solid, which surprised me, but I recovered and went in again. When I stabbed a second time, I hit the solid whatever, and bounced the blade again. Almost stabbed myself in the foot." Tenryuu looked down in shame at her mistake. Tatsuta patted her shoulder while still fighting a smirk.

Tenryuu shook her head. "Anyway, I backed off and tried to regain my bearings. The cloud thankfully began to dissipate but the main thing that got me was my sword. I realised that my sword had not only turned completely black, but then the black seemed to liquify and collect in that black band. Seeing that the cloud was dissipating, I sheathed my sword and turned to head home, satisfied. No sooner had I turned to head home, i got that burning pain in my hand. I tried to pull my hand away, but I couldn't. It was like my hand was melted to the sword grip. The last thing I remember was looking up and seeing what appeared to be a bit of fire where the cloud had been. I then blacked out."

When Tenryuu finished, Mutsu beckoned for Nagato and Tatsuta to follow her into the kitchen to discuss what should be done. "Well, what are your thoughts?" Mutsu locked eyes with both girls.

Nagato sighed. "Well this needs to stay under wraps for now I think. We don't know enough to really figure out what we're dealing with or how to counter it."

"Agreed," Tatsuta went on. "What Tenryuu told us sounds too strange to figure out right away so it's better if we can keep this hidden for now, especially with e Germans heading home in the next few days. Last thing we need is for them to return and report that there's weird things happening here.

"Well that settled that," Mutsu said simply. "We'll keep this quiet for the time being, until we know more." She sighed. Now then, what about Tenryuu? She's gonna need some TLC…"

"On in," Tatsuta said quickly.


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

The next morning, Tenryuu was feeling slightly better and was able to accompany her sister, Nagato, and Mutsu down to the docks to see Bismarck's fleet off. Nearly everyone who'd gone with Bismarck to Nagasaki now stood a along the quay, hands raised, to see their friends off. Bismarck had attempted to say something, but she her voice wouldn't work, so she'd settled for hugs before taking to the water again. As the three headed away, Akagi waved her arm, and six full squadrons of aircraft flew overhead in salute. Graf returned the gesture, while waving goodbye. Bismarck pursed her lips and tried not to cry. Eugen had broken down before they even got to the water, and her face was still tear streaked.

Mamiya was crying too. She'd been touched by how much the three had done to bring her home, and had embraced all three privately, while also giving Bismarck her smoothie recipe. "Be safe. You will keep in touch, and you will visit. You all have my number, so you have no excuse." All three had laughed.

Nagato watched the three sail off into the rising sun. "I guess I will miss those three after all. They were part of this district for long enough," She looked over at Mutsu, who nodded.

"I will miss them too," Zuikaku was fighting back years of her own. She knew that Soyuz and Kirov would have to head back soon but she hadn't wanted to think about it so soon. "Don't be so down. You have my WoWS username, phone number, and Skype address. And email. We'll stay in touch. You will visit," Soyuz wiped her eyes with her shirt.

Zuikaku couldn't bare it. She ran over and tackled her sister with a hug, crying into her chest. "I'm gonna miss you sis. I will visit. You know that. You still have to teach me those songs after all!"

Soyuz laughed in spite of herself. "Oh, that reminds me-I have something for you." She gently pulled away and dug around in her bag again. Pulling out another small box, she handed it to Zuikaku. "Didn't get a chance to wrap this one, sorry."

"I'll be outside Soyuz," Kirov whispered. Soyuz waved in acknowledgment.

Zuikaku looked confused as she sat down to open the box. "What could this be?" Soyuz said nothing, smirking. "Oh no way!" Zuikaku gasped. "You don't mind giving these to me?"

"They're CD's. I have all my MCR songs on my phone and computer. So I don't need them anymore. I thought you would like to have them. Right?" Soyuz had a playful glint in her eyes again.

"Of course I'd like them you dolt! Who do you think I am?" Zuikaku laughed and pulled Kirov down to the couch and leaned on her shoulder. "I really will miss having bonding time with my sister like this. I am visiting, and soon."

"I know. I look forward to it," Kirov murmured. She allowed Zuikaku to use her as a pillow for a few more minutes before she had to do it. "I'm out of time Zui. I'm sorry." She stood and Zuikaku followed her outside, where Kirov was waiting.

"Ready Soyuz?" She called. Soyuz nodded. Kirov came over and gave Zuikaku a hug. I'll keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid," Kirov promised. Zuikaku nodded.

She turned to Soyuz one last time. "Well sister, it's been fun. Text me when you're home, on?"

"Will do," Soyuz promised, blinking away more tears. She held out her arms. "Come here," she said. Zuikaku stepped forward and embraced her tightly. She sniffed, and gripped Soyuz's jacket tightly. After a minute, she pulled away, smiling in spite of herself. Soyuz looked into her eyes, then pulled her back to herself. "Let me know what you think of those songs, alright?" She kissed Zuikaku on the cheek, before pulling away and heading for the docks. Zuikaku knew it wouldn't be long before she saw Soyuz again. She had a suspicion that she'd see Soyuz and Kirov sooner rather than later.

Over by the docks, Mamiya broke the silence that had lasted since the others left. "So, who wants snacks at my place? It's on me?"

Akagi perked up. "Snacks on you? Heck yeah I'm in!" The others laughed and followed Akagi down to the café.

Mitsu looked over at Nagato, Tatsuta, and Tenryuu. "I'm happy now. There may be some strange things going on here but for now I'm going to take the peace and quiet I can get."

"Well said, Mutsu, well said." Tenryuu grinned. She had been shaken by the events of the past two days but that could wait. The truth was that everyone needed some time to catch up with friends and enjoy their new tech before they had to think about fighting again. Tenryuu was going to enjoy everything, that she knew. Because at anytime, things could change.

AN: Finally. After almost a year and too much writer's block, I can call this fic complete. Stay tuned for a possible sequel...


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